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Mice fed a diet rich in vegetables were less likely to develop atherosclerosis, fatty deposits in the arteries that can lead to heart attack and stroke.

In the study, researchers from Wake Forest University School of Medicine used mice specially bred to develop atherosclerosis. Half were fed a diet with no vegetables and the other half were fed a vegetable-rich diet, including broccoli, green beans, corn, peas and carrots.

Sixteen weeks later, mice fed vegetables had 38 percent less buildup of fatty plaques in their arteries, along with a reduction in total cholesterol and body weight.

Further, mice that ate a vegetable-rich diet had a 37 percent reduction in a marker of inflammation called serum amyloid, which suggests the vegetables may fight inflammation. (Inflammation in the arteries is linked to atherosclerosis.)

Although it's not known whether these results hold true for humans as well, it is known that fruits and vegetables fight heart disease in humans. However, on average most people only eat three out of the five (minimum) recommended servings of fruits and vegetables a day.

Journal of Nutrition July 2006, Vol. 136, No. 7: 1886-1889

BBC News June 18, 2006

EurekAlert June 17, 2006

Dr. Mercola's Comment:

No major mystery here. Eating your vegetables is one of the keys to staying healthy. Nearly everyone knows that.

"Eat your fruits and vegetables" is one of the tried-and-true recommendations for a healthy diet -- and for good reason. Eating plenty of fruits and vegetables can help you ward off heart disease and stroke, control blood pressure and cholesterol, prevent some types of cancer, avoid a painful intestinal ailment called diverticulitis, and guard against cataract and macular degeneration, two common causes of vision loss.

The major problem most people have in applying this recommendation, though, is that they only apply the first half and have the sweet fruits and not the vegetables.

It is my opinion that nearly all of the benefit from the "fruit and vegetable" recommendation is from the vegetables and not the fruit, which is typically much higher in sugars that can raise your insulin levels.

So one of the best things you can do is to reverse the order every time you hear the term "fruit and vegetables." Turn it around in your mind to "vegetables and fruit" and your brain will finally start to understand the relative importance of the two. Then you will start to make more vegetable choices rather than fruit ones.

There is compelling evidence that a diet rich in vegetables and fruits can lower your risk of heart disease and stroke.

The largest and longest study to date, done as part of the Harvard-based Nurses' Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-up Study, included almost 110,000 men and women whose health and dietary habits were followed for 14 years. The higher the average daily intake of vegetables and fruits, the lower the chances of developing cardiovascular disease.

Compared with those in the lowest category of fruit and vegetable intake (less than 1.5 servings a day), those who averaged 8 or more servings a day were 30 percent less likely to have had a heart attack or stroke.

Although all fruits and vegetables likely contribute to this benefit, green leafy vegetables such as lettuce, spinach, Swiss chard, and mustard greens, and cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, bok choy, and kale, appear to be exceptionally healthy.

The only caution here is to make sure you are aware that although all vegetables have useful ingredients, some vegetables may not be ideal for you.

Metabolic typing tells us vegetables that will alkalinize one person will cause someone else's blood pH to become acidic. Optimization of your blood pH is an important aspect of staying healthy, so it is important to understand which vegetables are best for you.

Prior to my understanding of metabolic typing I would consume about 10 pounds of vegetables or more a week. But in retrospect I really do think it pushed my health backward.

Another way you can determine if a specific vegetable is good for you is to listen to what your body tells you. If you just simply can't stand the taste of a particular vegetable then this is probably a clue that it is not good for you and should be avoided.

Also remember to get organic vegetables whenever possible, but it is better to eat non-organic vegetables than no vegetables. Also, it is better to eat regular fresh vegetables than organic vegetables that are wilted and clearly past their prime -- even if they are sitting in a health food store.

The problem with vegetables is that they are so perishable, which is why you have to be careful. You can also increase the storage capacity by removing most of the air from the plastic bag you store them in, and tying the bag securely so it resembles a vacuum-pack look. This can increase the shelf life of the vegetables by 200-300 percent.

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