Results of a study published in The Lancet show how eating more fruits and vegetables really does lower blood pressure and thus reduces risk for heart disease and stroke.
Proponents of the DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) have been praising the outcome of 5-a-day servings of fruits and vegetables for 8 weeks in reducing systolic (the first or upper number) and diastolic (the lower number) blood pressure readings. The new study conducted in the United Kingdom showed how even longer studies -- this time a six-month study -- proved beneficial in lowering blood pressure.
Five a Day
Study participants chosen from the general population were encouraged to increase their fruit and vegetable consumption to at least five servings a day. Overall, the study group was able to lower their blood pressure, when compared with a control group.
One researcher said that such reductions in blood pressure in the general population could decrease the number of people considered to have high blood pressure by 17 percent. The risk for heart disease could be lowered 6 percent, and the risk of stroke and mini-strokes known as TIAs could be lowered as much as 15 percent. |
