'Berry' Good Diets Are Beneficial for Heart Health - East Idaho News

‘Berry’ Good Diets Are Beneficial for Heart Health

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139628104?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1358204876195Photodisc/Thinkstock(BOSTON) — Doctors have long advised patients to add helpings of berries to their diets for the antioxidants. Now researchers say berries can be good for the heart.

A new study has found that women who eat at least three servings of blueberries and strawberries a week can reduce the risk of a heart attack by 32 percent. The berries contain plenty of compounds called anthocyanins, which researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health say may dilate arteries and cut plaque build-up.

The researchers looked at almost 94,000 American women ages 25 to 42. They found that 405 heart attacks had been reported by the participants, who answered questions about their diets every four years for 18 years.

The findings were published in the American Heart Association journal Circulation.

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