Eat Your Fruits and Veggies
June 4, 2004
(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Overweight and at risk for stroke? Fruit and vegetables may be what you need.
Researchers in Boston from Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School found antioxidants in fruits and vegetables may reduce the risk of ischemic strokes, the most common type of stroke caused when blood clots cut off oxygen supply to the brain.
The researchers measured the levels in blood samples of nearly 22,000 men. Carotenoids are the antioxidants found in fruits and vegetables.
The results showed patients who had higher carotenoid levels were at a 40-percent lower risk of having a stroke.
Based on these findings, researchers suggest a diet high in fruits and vegetables may reduce stroke risk.
The American Heart Association recommends a well balanced diet of fruits,
vegetables, carbohydrates and proteins.
SOURCE: To be published in a upcoming issue of Stroke
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