Strawberry daiquiris count as health food, study finds

We've heard about the benefits of moderate drinking on heart disease risk and specifically from drinking red wine. Now there is even better news. From Yahoo News comes the story that according to U.S. and Thai researchers fruity cocktails (such as strawberry or blueberry daiquiris) may be classified as healthy food.

The reason, it turns out, is the mixture of fruit and alcohol, specifically ethanol. Ethanol is the type of alcohol found in rum, vodka, tequila and other spirits and its addition actually boosts the antioxidant nutrients in strawberries and blackberries. In other words, you get more antioxidant benefit from a fully-loaded daiquiris than a "virgin" (no alcohol) daiquiris.

They were exploring ways to help keep strawberries fresh during storage. Treating the berries with alcohol increased in antioxidant capacity and free radical scavenging activity, they found.

Any colored fruit or vegetable is rich in antioxidants, which are chemicals that can cancel out the cell-damaging effects of compounds called free radicals.

Berries, for instance, contain compounds known as polyphenols and anthocyanins. People who eat more of these fruits and vegetables have a documented lower risk of cancer, heart disease and some neurological diseases.

This must have been one study in which the scientists had no trouble rounding up test subjects. Also, it goes without saying that despite the antioxidant value of the drinks that people should not depend solely on cocktails for their fruit servings.

How long until someone tries the pick-up line "Hey baby, can I buy you something healthy to drink?"