Fruits and Veggies Help Your Heart
Reported November 4, 2004
(Ivanhoe Newswire) — Eating fruits and vegetables won’t reduce your risk for cancer but could decrease your risk for heart disease, according to a new study. Previous research has shown these foods are associated with a reduced risk for specific diseases, so researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston studied large-scale reports to determine if associations exist between the foods and cancer and heart disease. Researchers analyzed data from more than 100,000 participants in two studies. They found total fruit and vegetable intake decreased the risk of heart disease. Leafy green vegetables showed the strongest inverse association with heart disease and cancer combined. However, no correlation was observed between the fruits and vegetables and cancer incidence alone. Researchers conclude, “Consumption of five or more servings of fruits and vegetables per day has been recommended in the national 5 A Day for Better Health Program for cancer prevention, but the protective effect of fruit and vegetable intake may have been overstated. Our findings for cardiovascular disease still support the recommendations of the American Heart Association of consuming at least five servings of fruits and vegetables per day.”
SOURCE: Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 2004;96:1577-1584
