NEW YORK: Go veggie if you want to avoid heart disease, seems to be the message from the findings of a recently completed research.
It has always been believed that eating a diet rich in fruit and vegetables have many benefits but no research has been done to substantiate the belief. In the latest attempt too, mice were used to assess the cardiovascular benefits of a veggie diet. Mice that were fed a mixture of vegetables such as broccoli, peas and carrots, over a period of 16 weeks, showed 38% less fatty build-up in their arteries compared to the control group mice.
The whole group of mice was specially bred for the experiment, i.e. they had a higher level of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) generally known as 'bad cholestrol'. In humans, high LDL levels are considered a risk factor for artherosclerosis – a condition where fatty plaque develops on the walls of blood vessels causing inflammation and even blocking blood flow. The condition usually leads to heart attacks and strokes.
These mice also showed a reduction in body weight and total cholesterol compared to those that were fed a diet entirely lacking in vegetables, although this could not be linked to the lower occurrence of atherosclerosis. Additionally, the control group showed 37% higher serum amyloid that indicates inflammation. This finding implied a possible link between reduced inflammatory activity and a diet rich in vegetables and fruits.
Dr Michael Adams, author of the study, said the findings “indicate that a diet rich in green and yellow vegetables inhibits the development of hardening of the arteries and may reduce the risk of heart disease". A researcher explained that vegetables get their colour from the different combination of minerals they contain.
Dr Adam was assisted in the research by his colleagues at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine.
