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  • Healthy Heart: Blueberries A Prescription

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    Nothing matters more than taking good care of your heart. Getting regular exercise, not smoking, and controlling stress are just a few things health experts recommend, along with eating a variety of nutritious, heart-healthy foods that make up a healthy diet. Blueberries top the list as one of the most powerful disease-fighting foods. That's because they contain anthocyanins, the antioxidant responsible for their dark blue color. These delicious jewels are packed with fiber, vitamin C, and are available all year long.

    Thinking about topping your morning cereal with a cup of blueberries? Do it.

    Just one cup of blueberries per day could be the key to reducing blood pressure and arterial stiffness, both of which are associated with cardiovascular disease, according to researchers at Florida State University (FSU).

    “Our findings suggest that regular consumption of blueberries could potentially delay the progression of prehypertension to hypertension, therefore reducing cardiovascular disease risk,” said lead researcher Sarah A. Johnson, assistant director of the Center for Advancing Exercise and Nutrition Research on Aging (CAENRA) and postdoctoral fellow in FSU’s Department of Nutrition, Food and Exercise Sciences.

    Healthier arteries

    At the end of the eight weeks, participants receiving the blueberry powder on average had a 7 mmHg (5.1 percent) decrease in systolic blood pressure, which is the top number in the blood pressure reading that measures the pressure in the arteries when the heart beats. They also saw a 5 …

    More specifically, the many subclasses of phenols and polyphenols (plant compounds comprising hydroxyl groups attached to aromatic rings) that exist in abundance in blueberries and blueberry leaves represent some of the most powerful, naturally occurring antioxidants and anti-inflammatory agents found in vegetation. By neutralizing free radicals and quelling maladaptive inflammatory responses, these compounds protect cells and tissues against the oxidative damage and inflammation believed to initiate, mediate, or accelerate conditions ranging from diabetes, heart disease, and Alzheimer’s disease to numerous forms of cancer. And that may be just the beginning of the health boons of blueberries!

    Please Read this Article at NyrNaturalNews.com

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    Staff Writer

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