Strawberry

Studies in people

• Benefit

  Blood vessel health in teens²

  In heavier teen boys, strawberry powder raised blood nitrates and improved blood vessel function in some.

• Benefit

  Cholesterol and inflammation⁴

  Eating strawberries lowered a marker of inflammation, and in people with high cholesterol it also lowered their cholesterol.

• No harm found

  Blood fats after eating⁹

  In overweight men, eating freeze-dried strawberry with a fatty meal did not lower blood fats.

• Benefit

  Memory and mood in midlife¹⁰

  In middle-aged people with early memory complaints, daily strawberry powder improved memory interference and mood, but not blood sugar.

Animal and lab studies only

• Benefit

  Oxidative stress and disease¹⁵

  In lab and animal studies and in people, strawberry may help lower oxidative stress, the authors said.

• Benefit

  Blood vessel inflammation¹⁶

  In mice, strawberries eased blood vessel inflammation from a high-fat diet, but antibiotics wiped out that effect.

• Open question

  Antioxidants in fruit¹⁷

  In lab studies, strawberry achenes, though a small part of the fruit, contributed over 41% of total antioxidants.

• Benefit

  Blood sugar in diabetes¹⁸

  In diabetic rats, strawberry juice lowered blood sugar and raised insulin, but scientists do not yet know if it works in people.

• Benefit

  Gut inflammation in mice¹⁹

  In animal studies, eating strawberry eased colon damage and boosted helpful gut bacteria in mice.

Study type not stated

• Concern

  Kidney stone risk¹¹

  Strawberries contain oxalates, so people with oxaluria should limit how many they eat.

• Benefit

  Berry health benefits¹²

  Chilean strawberries have high phenolic content, and some research suggests they may help prevent long-term diseases.

• Open question

  Foodborne viruses on fresh fruit¹⁴

  Hepatitis A and norovirus were found on some fresh strawberries tested in Egypt.

Found in some samples or products

These come from where it was grown, how it was processed or cooked, or what it was made into. They are not about the ingredient itself, so the signal does not count them.

• Pesticide residues in fruit³

  About a quarter of strawberry samples tested in Beijing contained pesticide residues, and a few were above China's limit.

Allergies and intolerances

These are about people with an allergy, an intolerance or coeliac disease. The signal is about the ingredient itself, and these are about the person eating it, so the signal does not count them.

• Cross-reactive pollen allergy⁶

  Some people allergic to birch pollen react to strawberries too, because a strawberry protein is similar to birch pollen.

How it’s made and used

• How the body handles them⁵

  After people ate strawberries, only a small share of the strawberry anthocyanins showed up in their urine.

• How the body handles fruit compounds⁷

  Strawberry polyphenols get absorbed and broken down in the body, and some stay in the blood for a while.

• How the body absorbs nutrients⁸

  In overweight adults, a strawberry drink two hours before a meal raised pelargonidin-based anthocyanin levels more than with or after the meal.

• Taste and nutrients in fruit¹³

  Strawberry taste and nutrients depend more on the variety than on whether it was grown organically.

The signal at the top counts the findings in people and in animal and lab studies. A concern in studies of people outranks animal and lab studies, and “No concerns” needs at least one finding in people. When most findings in people point one way, the page leans that way (“Mostly”), and every finding is still shown. Findings whose study type is not stated are shown but not counted. This page is a reference, not medical advice. It describes what regulators and published research say. Talk to a doctor or dietitian about your own diet.