Strawberries are packed with taste and healthy goodness. A lot has been talked about their benefits for the human body. But are strawberries good for stomach ulcers? Let us check that in this Buzzle article…
Smile Please!
Strawberries can help whiten your teeth. The acids in this berry help remove stains, and hence, whiten the teeth. (Are we smiling already?)
Gorgeously red, yummy, and filled with nutrients; strawberries are one sinfully delicious, yet healthy fruit that we know. They are packed with antioxidants, and are nutrient-rich, especially in vitamin C, the immunity booster vitamin! They also help in preventing cancer, and also improve skin resilience and elasticity.
Along with all the benefits, you will be happy to know that a recent research has found out that strawberries help in protecting the stomach from ulcers and other gastric problems. This also means that strawberries are a good choice for alcoholic’s, and this time, not only in terms of taste, but to lessen the damage caused by its consumption. Studies show that strawberries have a good effect on taming the damage caused by alcohol on the stomach lining.
Stomach Ulcers – Quick Review
Before we get to understanding how strawberries help us, let us have a quick, short understanding of stomach ulcers. This way, understanding how strawberries help tackle this condition, will be easier.
Stomach ulcers, also called gastric ulcers, are caused when the protective lining of the stomach and the small intestines breaks down and stops working. As a result, it causes inflammation and ulcers. This lining mainly protects the stomach from irritating acids that are produced in the stomach.
The causes for stomach ulcers can be alcohol, viral infection, and regular consumption of anti-inflammatory drugs like aspirin and ibuprofen, etc.
How Strawberries Help Treat Stomach Ulcers
Researchers have found that the stomach membrane (protective lining) could be protected from harm by eating strawberries. The following experiment was carried out for the finding, and published in the journal of PLoS (Public Library of Science).
❧ A group of Spanish, Italian, and Siberian scientists conducted an experiment on the lining of a mammal’s stomach, to observe the effect of strawberries.
❧ A group of rats were regularly given strawberry extracts for 10 days. These rats were then exposed to gastric damage, which was done by giving them ethanol.
❧ The rats which were given the strawberry extract showed less signs of ulcers, which was 40 mg/day per kg of weight, as compared to the rats that were not given any strawberry extract.
❧ The antioxidant properties and high content of phenolic compounds (which are ant-inflammatory and anti-clotting properties) in strawberries, helped strengthen the protective lining of the stomach and intestine.
❧ It was also observed that, along with combating the forming of ulcers, strawberries also helped in strengthening other enzymes and defense mechanisms in the body.
❧ The research observed that eating strawberries could help combat damage to the protective stomach lining, before or after the inflammation started showing.
❧ The study concluded that regular consumption of strawberries had good results in combating stomach mucous membrane damage, that leads to gastric illnesses.
It is believed that eating strawberries, could hence, slow the formation of and damage due to ulcers in humans. They are an excellent option to control damage to the stomach, especially caused by the consumption of alcohol.
Apart from the above findings that prove strawberries to be a boon as far as effective and preventive measures against ulcers are concerned, these berries also have other excellent health benefits. They keep the heart healthy, combat oxidative-stress, lower blood pressure, and also increase the levels of good cholesterol.
So, if you want a healthy stomach, shiny and supple skin, now you know, it is strawberries that you need to indulge in.