What happened when researchers tried to tease out what’s in dairy that interferes with the health benefits of berries and tea? A trio of Harvard studies that followed more than 100,000 women for more than a decade found that those consuming the most anthocyanins (the brightly colored pigments found in berries, like blueberries and strawberries) “had an 8 percent reduction in [the] risk of” developing high blood pressure. And the group consuming the most every day was only eating about six strawberries’ worth, or even just 11 blueberries—a tenth of a cup.
Maybe the biggest berry-eaters just happened to have other healthy habits, and that’s the real reason they did better? After all, you’re probably more likely to sprinkle blueberries on oatmeal than on bacon and eggs. But researchers controlled for whole-grain intake, fiber, salt, smoking, exercise, and a bunch of other things, and the berry benefit still remained. But you don’t know for sure until you put it to the test….