Increase Daily Fruits & Vegetables to Ward Off Heart Disease

In that previous studies have shown that a higher intake of fruits and vegetables associates with a lower risk of ischaemic heart disease, the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)-Heart Study Collaborators studied data collected on more than 300,000 European men and women during a study period averaging just over 8 years.  The team found that those people who consumed at least eight portions (80 grams [3 ounces] each) of fruits and vegetables a day had a 22% lower risk of fatal ischaemic heart disease , compared with those consuming fewer than three portions a day. Specifically, the researchers calculated that each one-portion (80 g [3 oz.]) increment in fruit and vegetable intake lowered the risk of fatal heart disease by 4%. The team concludes that: “Results from this large observational study suggest that a higher intake of fruits and vegetables is associated with a reduced risk of [ischaemic heart disease] mortality.”

Francesca L. Crowe,  Andrew W. Roddam, Timothy J. Key, Paul N. Appleby, Kim Overvad, et al, and European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)-Heart Study Collaborators.  “Fruit and vegetable intake and mortality from ischaemic heart disease: results from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)-Heart study.”   Eur Heart J., January 18, 2011; doi:10.1093/eurheartj/ehq465.