Introduction
abdominal obesity, CVD
CVD, CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE
Many epidemiological studies have shown that a high consumption of fruits and vegetables is associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and other chronic diseasesStrawberries are consumed worldwide and are important sources of nutritive compounds such as vitamin C, folate and polyphenols. Strawberries are one of the most abundant sources of folate among fruitsClinical intervention studies revealed that a regular consumption of strawberries may positively affect risk factors for CVD. Total cholesterol (TC) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels were shown to be decreased by strawberry supplementation in overall healthy adults with abdominal obesity and dyslipidemiaHowever, the above-cited studies were all long-term intervention trials and did not examine the acute impacts of strawberry consumption on vitamins’ postprandial response or on antioxidant capacity. Another issue to consider is the relatively high sugar content of fruits marketed in Japan, which often raises concerns about the fruits’ effect on the blood glucose level. We thus conducted the present study to determine how acute strawberry consumption affects serum levels of vitamin C and folic acid, the antioxidant potential of LDL and the blood glucose response.