Health Benefits of a Plant-Centered Diet (Women).

Cardiovascular disease, a name for a number of conditions including high blood pressure and stroke, is a serious problem in the United States. It is the leading cause of death in the US and is responsible for 1 in every 2.4 deaths. Almost 60 million Americans have some form of cardiovascular disease, including high blood pressure and heart disease. The annual cost of heart disease and stroke in the US in 2000 was estimated at $326.6 billion.

Many factors that increase a person's risk of developing cardiovascular disease are heavily affected by diet. Diet impacts high cholesterol, high blood pressure, obesity, and diabetes, all of which increase the risk for cardiovascular disease. While the American Heart Association and other groups have recommended including five or more servings of fruits and vegetables daily as one means of reducing risk, there has been little research in this area.

A new study of more than 39,000 women provides important information about the role of fruits and vegetables in the prevention of cardiovascular disease. In 1993, the women reported about how often they ate a serving of 44 different fruits and vegetables. The participants were studied for the next 5 years to see which women developed cardiovascular disease. Those who ate the highest number of servings of fruits and vegetables had the lowest risk of developing cardiovascular disease, lower by about 20-30%. More servings of fruits and vegetables also seemed to reduce the risk of having a heart attack.

The average woman in this study ate about 6 servings of fruits and vegetables daily, and there was a reduction in risk seen when 10 or more servings of fruits and vegetables were eaten. The average American has less than 2 servings of fruits and vegetables daily. An editorial accompanying the published results of this study calls for a plant-centered diet to be more strongly encouraged than it is now. It's not enough to take a pill or use a specially formulated food to get single nutrients that appear to prevent disease; we need to eat more whole foods, including fruits and vegetables. Vegetarians have been aware of the benefits of fruits and vegetables for many years. We hope that others will follow our lead.

Liu S, Manson JE, Lee I-M, et al. 2000. Fruit and vegetable intake and risk of cardiovascular disease: The Women's Health Study. Am J Clin Nutr 72:922-928.

Jacobs DR, Jr, Murtaugh MA. 2000. It's more than an apple a day: An appropriately processed plant-centered dietary pattern may be good for your health. Am J Clin Nutr 72:899-900.