Article - Fruits & Veggies Cut Stroke Risk

[Guest guest]

This today from the IFU-Veg-News.

love, pat

 

[uK] Fruits and veggies cut stroke risk

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/health/4649508.stm

BBC News - 1/27/2006

Fruit and veg 'cut stroke risk'

 

Eating more than the recommended five portions of

fruit and vegetables

a day can cut risk of stroke, a study says. People who

ate three to

five cut the risk by 11% compared with those eating

fewer than three, The

Lancet reported. It was 26% lower for people who ate

more than five

servings, University of London researchers found in

the study of data on

more than 257,500 people.

The Department of Health says five or more daily

portions cuts risk of

heart disease, cancer and other problems. Stroke is

the third leading

cause of death and the most common cause of disability

in most developed

countries.

 

More than 150,000 people in the UK have a stroke each

year

Strokes kill an estimated 67,000 people in the UK each

year

More than 250,000 Britons live with a severe

disability caused by

stroke

 

The researchers pooled data from eight studies from

Europe, Japan and

the US.

Lead researcher Dr Feng He said a diet including lots

of fruit and

vegetables was also likely to further reduce the risk

of other forms of

cardiovascular disease, and some cancers.

Professor Graham MacGregor, who also worked on the

study, said: " It is

a very important finding because it really shows that

the quantity of

fruit and vegetables you should be eating is more than

five a day. "

Fruit and vegetables are full of nutrients such as

vitamin C, beta

carotene and potassium as well as plant proteins and

dietary fibre.

 

A SERVING

Vegetables: 77 grams (2.7 ounces)

Fruit: 80 grams (2.8 ounces)

 

They are also less dense in calories, have very little

fat and contain

beneficial antioxidants.

However, the researchers suspect that potassium may be

the most

important factor in preventing stroke.

Professor MacGregor said: " We know that if you give

people additional

potassium it lowers blood pressure.

" By increasing to five servings a day from three you

would increase

your potassium intake by about 50%. "

Simple changes

Joe Korner, of the Stroke Association, said: " This

latest research is

very important because it shows just how significant

this simple

lifestyle change can be in reducing strokes.

" Simply increasing daily intake of fruit and

vegetables to five or more

a day could reduce the number of strokes by 26%. In

the UK that would

mean nearly 40,000 strokes a year.

" At least a further 20,000 (14%) strokes could be

prevented by better

control of high blood pressure through reducing salt

intake, better

exercise and stopping smoking. "

Professor Gareth Beevers, from the Blood Pressure

Association, said the

study highlighted the need for health educators to

provide clear,

practical information about the sorts of foods which

everyone should be

eating.

 

© BBC MMVI

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Pat, thanks for this article. I have come to believe that the more of

our vitamins and supplements that we take in their natural form, the

better. I wonder how many people will start taking potassium

supplements because of this article?

 

A doctor recently told me that I should consider taking chromium

supplements because of my history of insulin resistance. I had been

" McDougalling " for over a year at that time, and already knew my fasting

insulin level was way down. I knew this doctor sold supplements in his

office, and he was probably trying to score a sale. I asked him what

foods contained chromium and he said that no one could get enough from

diet alone. I told him what my most recent insulin report was and he

said " Well, you're all set, then. " and dropped the subject. I went home

and looked up what foods were high in chromium, and it's whole grains.

Refined grains (white flour, for example) have almost no chromium. I

eat whole wheat pasta and every day have a bowl of cooked oat groats or

oatmeal, so in that must be sufficient chromium to make a difference for me.

 

Laura