Heart-shaped summer berry helps STRENGTHEN vessels

Friend, you might not spend much time thinking about your blood vessels…

And I don’t blame you.

Most of us don’t – until there’s a MAJOR problem, like a blocked artery!

But our vessels are MORE than just the “superhighways” that our blood travels through.

Here’s why we need to pay more attention to vessel function… a.k.a. endothelial function, which refers to the lining of the vessels.

It helps control the QUALITY of our blood… and HOW our bodies use it!

And that could have MAJOR impacts on our overall health.

In fact, some experts believe that cardiovascular disease BEGINS with problems in the endothelium (or vessel lining)!

And increasingly, they’re looking at ways to approach treating heart disease by ZEROING IN on vessel function first.

Now, the science behind this might SOUND a little complicated…

But the good news is that it couldn’t be EASIER to support vessel health.

And it could start by adding this ONE ingredient to your diet.

It’s strawberries… those red, heart-shaped berries we all love!

In a 2021 study on overweight and obese adults, consuming a strawberry powder drink
2x daily was associated with… IMPROVED flow-mediated dilation, an indication of healthy vessel function, within 1 hour

DECREASED systolic blood pressure within 2 hours.

 

Now, I’m not a proponent of reducing BP numbers just for the sake of hitting arbitrary targets…

But LOWER blood pressure could be a sign of more EFFORTLESS blood flow…

Which could indicate HEALTHIER vessels!

Here’s what really impressed me…

Those blood pressure benefits CONTINUED… up to 4 weeks later!

Now, one of the ways that strawberries help support vessel health is by EXTINGUISHING inflammation.

In a 2013 study out of Harvard, eating more than 2 servings of strawberries a week was associated with a significantly lower risk of having elevated levels of the inflammation marker C-reactive protein (CRP), compared to not eating any strawberries at all.

This is kind of a “Captain Obvious” moment…

Because we all KNOW that eating more fruits and vegetables is good for our cardiovascular health.

But it’s good to get an occasional reminder about the specific benefits of eating certain items in the produce aisle.

Depending on where you live, strawberries are in season starting in May or June… so the timing is perfect.

But there’s a catch…

Strawberries are consistently at or near the top of Environmental Working Group’s annual “Dirty Dozen” list… which monitors the levels of pesticides used in common fruits and vegetables.

So, before you pick up a basket of these juicy fruits… make sure they’re organic.

If you can’t find pesticide-free strawberries at your local grocer, try a farmer’s market… where you can speak directly to the grower.