Many organizations, including the American Heart Association, recommend that you eat five or more servings of fruits and vegetables every day to reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer, the leading causes of death in the United States. Studies have evaluated the association of fruit and vegetable consumption with a generalized reduced of risk of disease. But their overall association with cardiovascular disease and cancer have rarely been evaluated in large studies.
A recent analysis of data from more than 100,000 participants in two large studies, the Nurses' Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, confirmed that increased fruit and vegetable consumption is associated with a decreased risk of cardiovascular disease.
Heart Attack
Eating eight or more servings of fruits and vegetables daily decreases a person's risk of heart disease by 20 percent compared to eating less than three servings a day. But if you don't eat eight or nine a day – and can't see how you ever will – you'll be happy to learn that the study found that increasing your fruit and vegetable consumption by just one serving a day can decrease your risk of heart attack by four percent.
The best foods are green, leafy vegetables and citrus fruits. They are high in folate and vitamin C. Another vitamin protective to your heart is B6, which is found in bananas, whole grains, milk, fish, and chicken. An easy way to increase your intake of these vitamins is to eat breakfast cereals that are fortified with folate and vitamin B6. Add low-fat milk and an orange or a glass of orange juice.
Stroke
The data also revealed that eating lots of fruits and vegetables – at least five a day – decreases the risk of stroke by 30 percent. The most common type of stroke (ischemic) is caused by blockage of arteries and blood vessels, the same cause of many heart attacks.
Cancer
Researchers discovered a small, but "not statistically significant reduction" in the risk for cancer. For all cancers, the most protective of the fruits and vegetables was green leafy vegetables. The Health Professionals study found that men who ate the most tomato-based foods lowered their risk of prostate cancer by 35 percent compared to men who ate the least tomato-based foods.
Quantity and Variety
In the Nurses' Health Study, women were most protected when they had high levels of folate (500 mcg) and vitamin B6 (3.0 mcg). Current recommendations are 400 mcg per day folate and 1.3 mcg per day for B6. You might also want to take a multivitamin supplement.
Some researchers suggest that you eat a minimum of nine servings of fruits and vegetables a day for best health. In this analysis, the greatest protection was in eating eight or more servings daily. Of course, you'll get the greatest benefit from eating a variety of fruits and vegetables. No single fruit or vegetable can provide all the nutrients you need. |
