Eating blueberries and strawberries at least 3 times a week can reduce your heart attack risk by one-third, say experts in Circulation, the American Heart Association’s journal.
Berries, as well as grapes and wine, eggplant and other fruits and veggies are rich in a type of flavonoids called anthocyanins. These compounds help keep your arteries open, slow the buildup of plaque and have other heart-protective benefits, researchers say.
Blueberries and strawberries are the most commonly consumed berries—so how are you going to cut your heart attack risk? Blueberry whole grain pancakes? Strawberry smoothie? Fresh berries on Greek yogurt?
“Even at an early age, eating more of these fruits may reduce risk of a heart attack later in life,” says lead researcher Aedin Cassidy, PhD, head of Nutrition at the University of East Anglia in the UK. Cassidy pulled the data from the Nurses Health Study II, which tracked the eating habits of 93,600 women ages 25 to 42.
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