(Avataraline.it) Eating strawberries and pomegranates regularly can keep aging at bay, while also preventing several deadly diseases including cancer, according to latest study.
According to researchers, the fruits, being high in antioxidants, helps combat the effects of oxidative stress, lessening effects of aging, and the chances of contracting diseases such as diabetes, cancer and heart diseases.
Researchers from Marche Polytechnic University in Italy and University of Granada in Spain, for their study, fed healthy volunteers with half a kilo of strawberries for a two-week period. Blood samples were collected from volunteers at four, eight, twelve and sixteen day intervals and a month later.
The results showed that eating fruits such as strawberries that are high in antioxidants can prevent red blood cells undergoing haemolysis.
The Study Author, Dr. Maurizio Battino, says that certain varieties of strawberries make erythrocytes more resistant to oxidative stress. This could be of immense help considering the fact that oxidative stress leads to serious diseases.
The Study Author, Dr. Maurizio Battino, says that certain varieties of strawberries make erythrocytes more resistant to oxidative stress. This could be of immense help considering the fact that oxidative stress leads to serious diseases.
Pomegranate is another antioxidant-rich fruit, and one of the few plants that comprise a range of phytochemicals with antioxidant properties, but different in chemical makeup. In fact, the antioxidant levels in Pomegranate, is three times the amount in green tea or red wine. Pomegranate contains catechins, flavonoids, anthocyanins and gallocatechins, whereas majority of other plant-based sources contain only one group of antioxidants. Pomegranate seeds are also an excellent source of dietary fibre, carbohydrates and unsaturated fatty acids.
The chemical combination in pomegranate is said to reduce cell damage, and will potentially kill cancer cells. Antioxidants help by destroying free radicals in the body, which are associated with a range of diseases including cancer, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases. Free radicals are also responsible for hastening aging process.
Several laboratory and clinical studies suggests that pomegranate juice may have severe positive impact on several conditions including those linked to atherosclerosis and cardiovascular diseases, like reducing thickening of arteries, increasing blood flow, and plays a vital role in improvement of erectile dysfunction.
Apart from this, it has been lately proven that pomegranate has the ability to slow down the progression of certain cancers, including breast cancer and prostate cancer. In a study at the University of California, the researchers asked 50 men with prostate cancer to have half a glass of pomegranate juice daily, and kept track of the PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen) levels of these men. PSA is a protein which is widely linked to prostate cancer. The PSA levels of the patients who drank the juice did not rise for an average of 54 months (usually the PSA levels of a cancer patient doubles in about 15 months).
What’s more, while keeping such deadly diseases at bay, the high antioxidant levels of these fruits also help in maintaining that youthful glow when taken regularly. Having said this, why not try to include them as part of daily diet and enjoy the immense benefits that these fruits have to offer? (by Ayurvedictalk.com)
