Keep your body and brain young with this juicy fruit
Summer is a wonderful time of year -- not only for the fantastic weather, but for the incredible amount of fresh fruits and vegetables that you can find in the produce aisle.
With so many good options to choose from -- and all those bright colors -- you may find it hard to choose which ones to load up in your cart.
But according to the latest research, there's one in particular that really stands out.
And you're going to love this -- because it might even be the one you'd reach for first anyway.
It's the beautiful, bold strawberry!
Scientists at the Salk Institute have just shown that a powerful antioxidant found in strawberries, called fisetin, may reduce the physical and cognitive decline that comes with getting older.
The Salk team studied a group of 3-month-old mice that were bred to naturally age faster than regular mice. For seven months, they fed some of the critters a daily dose of fisetin with their food, and then they gave another group the same food without the additive.
Over the course of the study, the mice were given a variety of activity and memory tests to measure any changes in their brains.
At the 10-month mark, the researchers found that the mice given the fisetin were just as frisky as they were when the study started. They showed NO decline in their memory function and NO increase in stress or inflammation in their brains.
But the mice that weren't fed the supplement were in trouble. They struggled with all of the memory and activity tests and showed INCREASED stress and inflammation in their brains.
Now, mice aren't like you and I, but there are enough similarities for us to take a closer look at this remarkable compound -- because there are a lot of factors fisetin may affect.
Just recently in eTips, I shared with you how compounds in strawberries could reduce your chances of developing oral cancer. And other researchers are looking at how fisetin's effect on inflammation may REDUCE your chances of developing Alzheimer's, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, pulmonary disease, and other kinds of cancer.
And fisetin isn't JUST found in strawberries. It's also in mangos, kiwis, and grapes, as well as tomatoes, onions, and cucumbers.
However, you would have to eat several pounds of them every day to get a dose big enough to boost your health.
But you can still enjoy those strawberries and other fruits and veggies -- WITHOUT having to stuff yourself! (Just make sure they're organic, since the berry topped this year's EWG "Dirty Dozen" list of foods with the highest amounts of pesticide residue.)
Fisetin supplements are reasonably priced and safe, but talk to your doctor about finding the right dosage for you, and make sure to confirm that they won't interact with anything you're already taking.