Stroke protection by bright fruits and vegetables

Light fruits and vegetables prevent strokes

16/09/2011

Light fruits and vegetables protects against strokes. Dutch researchers at the University of Wageningen come to this conclusion in a comprehensive cohort study with more than 20,000 participants.

The researchers around Linda M. Oude Griep compared the consumption of fruits and vegetables with the ten-year stroke risk of study participants in their investigations. They divided the fruit and vegetables based on the pulp in four different color categories. Because the color of the edible portion of fruits and vegetables reflects the presence of pigmented bioactive compounds such as carotenoids, anthocyanins and flavonoids and could thus be directly related to the health effects of different fruit varieties, the researchers report in the online pre-release version of the medical journal „Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association“.

Fruits and vegetables in four color categories
Wageningen University's research team divided the fruits and vegetables into green (for example, broccoli, brussels sprouts, lettuce, spinach and kiwis), yellow / orange (for example, citrus, carrots, peaches), depending on the color of the pulp. Purple (for example, cherries, strawberries, beetroot) and white (for example, apples, pears, bananas, garlic). The study participants had to complete a detailed food intake questionnaire, which was compared with the subject's risk of stroke after a 10-year period. Above all, possible connections between fruit and vegetable consumption and the risk of stroke were in the interest of the researchers. All 20,069 volunteer men and women between the ages of 20 and 65 had no cardiovascular disease at baseline. After ten years, 233 study participants had suffered a stroke, report Linda M. Oude Griep and colleagues.

Consuming white fruits and vegetables reduces the risk of stroke
When investigating a possible association between the occurrence of strokes involving the consumption of vegetables and fruits from the four color categories, Wageningen University researchers found no positive effect of green, yellow / orange or red / purple pulp in terms of stroke prevention determine. The fruit and vegetables with white pulp, however, looked very different. Study participants who reportedly consumed corresponding fruits and vegetables suffered a stroke much less frequently than the average of the subjects. This positive effect was also confirmed when other stroke risk factors were considered, explained the Dutch researchers. The higher the intake of white fruits and vegetables, the lower the risk of stroke, according to the scientists. A high intake of fruit and vegetables with white pulp seems therefore appropriate with regard to the prevention of strokes, but other fruits and vegetables should not be neglected as this could protect against further diseases, Linda M. Oude Griep emphasized. (Fp)

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Image: Maja Dumat