Strawberries can keep many diseases at bay

More than the apple, a strawberry a day could keep not just one doctor away, but an entire army of brain, hormone and cancer specialists.

Fisetin is a natural flavonoid found very abundantly in strawberries and to some extent in other fruits, vegetables, tea and red wine. It eases diabetes complications, Salk Institute’s Cellular Neurobiology Lab (CFL) said.

Flavonoids are natural compounds having similar effects as antioxidants, which help protect and build up your immune system.

CFL conducted its investigations on mice.

Previously, the lab showed that fisetin promoted survival of cultured brain cells and enhanced memory in healthy mice, reports the journal Public Library of Science.

That fisetin can target multiple organs strongly suggests that a single drug could be used to mitigate numerous medical complications, according to a CFL statement.

Pam Maher, senior CFL scientist and study co-author, initially identified fisetin as a neuroprotective flavonoid 10 years ago.

“In plants, flavonoids act as sunscreens and protect leaves and fruit from insects,” she explains.