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Wellness

9 health benefits of strawberries

They can benefit your heart, brain, immune system, kidneys, and more
Sarah Bradley writer headshot
By | Jun. 6, 2025 Medically reviewed by Chad Shaffer, MD
Person holding a bowl of strawberries - benefits of strawberries

Key takeaways

  • One serving of strawberries has high amounts of vitamin C, fiber, potassium, and folate.

  • Research suggests that strawberries are good for your heart, brain, and kidney health and have the potential to help you prevent chronic diseases (including cancer!).

  • Some people should avoid or limit their strawberry intake, including people with certain allergies, people with a history of kidney stones, and people with IBS.

In this article:

Fresh strawberry ice cream, frozen strawberry smoothies, strawberry salad, or salsa—there are plenty of ways to enjoy these bright red, juicy berries. But strawberries aren’t just a colorful and delicious way to top off some of your favorite summer meals—they can also boost your diet with a wide range of health benefits. 

Even though they’re small, strawberries are packed with vitamins and nutrients like vitamin C, folate, and fiber. Plus, they’re an excellent source of antioxidants, which fight free radicals. Some research also suggests they can improve your brain and heart health, as well as potentially prevent cancer. Here are nine ways strawberries are a nutritious addition to your wellness arsenal.

9 health benefits of strawberries

Strawberries are sweet, healthy, portable, and compatible with all kinds of recipes—for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert. In case you need some reasons to eat them year-round (not just in the summer!), here’s how they can benefit your well-being.

1. Improve cardiovascular health

Strawberries are a good source of fiber, which helps lower cholesterol, and antioxidants, which help reduce oxidative stress (i.e., cell damage), says Cynthia Odogwu, MD, family healthcare provider practicing in Maryland. The plant compounds in strawberries also improve blood vessel health, helping control blood pressure.

In one study, older adults who ate two cups of fresh strawberries per day had lower blood pressure at the end of the study than when they started. Meanwhile, another study found that eating strawberries daily reduced the total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and triglyceride levels of participants.

2. Provide essential nutrients

Strawberries are packed with essential nutrients, says Lauren Manaker, MS, RD, a registered dietitian based in Charleston, South Carolina. These include:

3. Support kidney health

Strawberries are recognized as a good dietary source of potassium, says Manaker. Potassium is an electrolyte the body needs to regulate its nervous and cardiovascular systems, among other functions, but too much potassium can be harmful for people with chronic kidney disease. 

Thankfully, strawberries contain the perfect amount: “Generally speaking, strawberries are considered a low potassium food, with a typical [half-cup] serving containing around 115 milligrams of potassium,” says Manaker. “This makes them a decent option for individuals managing chronic kidney disease [on a low potassium diet].”

Just make sure you don’t overdo it. Although strawberries are not potassium-rich, Manaker says consuming them in larger quantities could increase your overall potassium intake. If you have chronic kidney disease or are on a low potassium diet, make sure you get the advice of your healthcare provider and stick to their recommended serving size to get the health benefits without the risks.

4. Improve gut health

One cup of strawberries contains about 3 grams of fiber, helping you move the needle closer to the recommended 20 to 35 grams of fiber per day. Regularly adding strawberries to your diet can improve digestive health by preventing constipation and promoting bowel regularity, says Dr. Odogwu. Strawberries also have a high water content, which helps prevent dehydration and constipation, and a study found that eating blueberries helped certain strains of healthy gut bacteria thrive. An added bonus? Eating plenty of fiber helps with weight management.

5. Improve brain health

Multiple studies suggest that regularly eating strawberries improves memory and cognition, and may even lower your risk for dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. For example, a study found that eating high amounts of strawberries and blueberries slowed down cognitive decline by as much as 2 ½ years. 

Two other studies suggest that strawberries’ antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties may lower a person’s risk for dementia, protecting brain health and improving memory and mood.

6. Fight cancer 

Research has shown that strawberries may prevent cancer, says Dr. Odogwu, thanks to compounds called phytochemicals that fight cancer-causing cells. Two of the most studied phytochemicals, anthocyanins and phenolic acids, have shown promise in helping to prevent the growth and spread of cancer cells while increasing the body’s antioxidant and anti-inflammatory response. Plus, there are other cancer-fighting nutrients in strawberries, too: Vitamin C and fruit may be associated with a lower risk of several types of cancer, including lung and colon, and fiber is associated with a lower risk of colorectal cancer.

7. Balance blood sugar

The glycemic index (GI) of a food refers to how quickly it makes your blood sugar levels increase. For people with diabetes or at risk of diabetes, it’s healthier to eat more foods with a low GI because they take longer to be digested and cause a slower, steadier rise in blood sugar.

Strawberries have a low glycemic index, says Manaker, making them great for stabilizing blood sugar levels. In a study, strawberries had a positive impact on insulin resistance in people with prediabetes. Dr. Odogwu adds that one small study actually found drinking a strawberry drink two hours before a meal reduced the spike in blood sugar that occurs after you eat compared to having the drink with the meal.

8. Prevent anemia

People with iron deficiency anemia don’t have enough iron in their red blood cells, so they may need to get more from their diet. But iron isn’t always fully absorbed by the body when it’s ingested through foods and supplements. Pairing iron with foods high in vitamin C helps your body absorb more iron, and with almost 90 milligrams of vitamin C per one-cup serving, strawberries definitely fit the bill.

“When strawberries are eaten with iron-rich foods or supplements, they can help prevent and treat anemia,” says Dr. Odogwu. Managing iron deficiency anemia should be discussed with the treating healthcare professional to see what measures need to be taken.

9. Enhance sleep quality

Strawberries contain melatonin, a hormone that regulates the body’s sleep cycle. According to Dr. Odogwu, research suggests that regularly eating strawberries can help you get more sleep. One study, for example, found that people who ate berries were less likely to get fewer than 7 hours of sleep per night. In addition to melatonin, strawberries also contain nutrients like potassium, calcium, and polysaccharides (a type of carbohydrate), which have also been shown to play a role in sleep quality, per that same study.

Strawberry nutrition facts

According to Manaker, one serving of strawberries is equal to about 1 cup (or 8 average-sized strawberries). In one cup, you’ll get around:

  • 89 milligrams of vitamin C
  • 3 grams of fiber
  • 233 milligrams of potassium
  • 36 micrograms of folate

Because strawberries are so versatile, you might find yourself reaching for a serving day after day: adding them to your cereal, mixing them into yogurt, or tossing them on top of a chicken and spinach salad. But is it okay to eat strawberries every day? Manaker says yes. They’re a great choice for your daily diet because they’re low in calories and rich in nutrients. Just make sure you wash them well to remove any potential residues like pesticides.

If you’re really looking to maximize the health benefits of strawberries, try to eat them raw; Dr. Odogwu says strawberries retain more vitamin C and polyphenols when eaten raw versus cooked. Just keep in mind that they are high in fiber, especially when raw, so high amounts can cause gastrointestinal symptoms like bloating, stomach cramps, and diarrhea. This is more likely in people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and fructose malabsorption syndrome, says Dr. Odogwu, but it could happen to anyone. 

Who should not eat strawberries?

Most people can happily eat as many strawberries as they want, but some people should avoid or limit their intake. This includes: 

  • People with certain allergies: If you have a known allergy to strawberries, you should definitely avoid them, but you might want to consider avoiding them if you also have a birch pollen allergy or experience oral allergy syndrome (OAS) when eating foods like apples and peaches, says Dr. Odogwu. Symptoms of OAS include oral itching, hives, and swelling; anaphylaxis (a severe allergic reaction that can be life-threatening) is a potential complication, but it happens only rarely with OAS. 
  • People on blood thinning medications: Dr. Odogwu says strawberries contain salicylate, a chemical that can increase the risk of bleeding for people taking blood thinners like warfarin.
  • People with a history of kidney stones: Strawberries contain oxalate, a compound that can bind to calcium, and because calcium oxalate stones are the most common type of kidney stone, excessive intake of strawberries could increase the risk of these kidney stones in people with a history of them. You may not have to avoid strawberries completely, though: “In people with a history of kidney stones, boiled strawberries may be better because the process of boiling reduces the oxalate content,” Dr. Odogwu says. 
  • People with certain health conditions: The naturally occurring sugar in strawberries (fructose) can cause bloating and diarrhea in people with IBS, says Dr. Odogwu, adding that people with fructose malabsorption syndrome—a common condition in kids under 10—may also want to avoid or limit strawberries because they can cause diarrhea and abdominal pain.

Bottom line: Why are strawberries good for you?

Strawberries are one of the tastiest and most convenient ways to add fruit to your diet, and just a single one-cup serving is surprisingly good for you. They’re full of vitamin C, folate, and fiber; they’re rich in disease-fighting antioxidants; their anti-inflammatory effects can improve your heart and brain health; they’re diabetes-friendly; and they may even help you manage conditions like anemia and kidney disease. As if that all wasn’t great news, here’s more: Strawberries are endlessly versatile, blending into your breakfasts and desserts as easily as your dinner. 

One of the best ways to eat strawberries is raw, but feel free to get creative with other types of strawberries, too. “Frozen and freeze-dried strawberries can be just as nutritious as fresh ones, retaining most of their vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants,” says Manaker. “Freezing locks in nutrients at their peak ripeness, while the freeze-drying process removes moisture without significantly compromising the fruit’s nutritional value.”