Yummy berries protect your Heart and Arteries

Scientists from King’s College London have recently published a study in the Archives of Biochemistry and Biophysics proving that a delicious berry is extremely beneficial for cardiovascular health.

These berries help clean arteries, make them more flexible, and can lower blood pressure while counteracting high cholesterol levels.

You can buy these delicious berries in all supermarkets.

Endothelial cells line the inner surface of your blood and lymph vessels.

When they work properly, your blood remains fluid and your blood vessels can contract and expand as necessary to regulate blood flow.

However, when the cells become dysfunctional, the risk of blood clotting increases, and your blood pressure is likely to be higher because your blood vessels are not as pliable as they should be.

Using ten healthy men aged 18 to 35, the scientists gave the subjects drinks containing 200g of raspberries, 400g of raspberries, or no raspberries at all.

They then tested the subjects’ blood pressure and the flow-mediated dilation (FMD) of their brachial artery.

FMD indicates how well an artery widens in response to increased blood flow. It is an important measure of good heart health, as arteries that can properly expand to accommodate the increased blood flow help keep your blood pressure down.

The participants showed a clear increase in FMD, an effect that lasted for up to 24 hours after consuming the raspberry drink.

The researchers attributed the effect to compounds called ellagitannins, which are naturally found in raspberries.

They hypothesized that these chemicals were responsible because they could see a corresponding increase in the urolithin metabolites in the subjects’ bloodstreams.

The bacteria in your intestines produce urolithin metabolites when they break down the ellagitannins in raspberries.

Given the significant effect on FMD, they concluded that raspberries may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease by 15%, especially if the effect can be sustained over time.

Other foods rich in ellagitannins include strawberries, pomegranates, and nuts.

Eating raspberries is great. But if you really want to get your cholesterol under control, you must cut out this one ingredient (something that you didn’t even know you were consuming)…

And if your blood pressure is too high, click here to learn 3 easy exercises that bring it down below 120/80 in as little as 9 minutes…