More Than an Apple-A-Day: Multiple Portions of Fruits & Vegetables Heart Healthy

A number of studies have linked higher fruit and vegetable consumption and reduced risks of coronary heart disease and stroke. The findings are based on the epidemiolgical studies of large groups of people. Epidemiological evidence remains open to strong challenge as the causal relationships can be difficult to support. Are the nutrients in fruits and vegetables working directly to reduce the risk of disease? Or is it that people who eat more fruits and vegetable simply reduce their intake of the foods containing heart unhealthy nutrients---saturated fats, trans fats, salt? Or is there yet some other factor involved.\? The American Heart Association (AHA) has found the result sufficiently signficant to recommend increasing fruit and vegetable consumption as part of a heart healthy diet.

A new clinical study, published in Circulation (volume 9, no 16 april 28 2009, pp2153-2160) has identified a causal relationship. Specifically, the study found improvements in arterial health with 6% increase blood flow response for each additional portion of fruit and vegetables consumed daily.

In responding to the efforts to identify the active compounds in fruits and vegetables, the study's authors comment that rather than searching for the single magic bullet micronutrient, a more practical approach is likely to consider whole foods and associated dietary patterns. Thus, increasing fruit and vegetable consumptions is likely to have numerous beneficial effects due to synergistic effects of bioactive compounds.

So look beyond the apple-a-day to keep the doctor away. Multiple portions of fruits and vegetables--- each with different compounds that may work together to improve heart health---is recommended.