Whole grains, fruits, and vegetables: a key part of a health-promoting diet.

U.S. adults don't do very well when it comes to eating whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. The average adult only eats one serving of whole grains daily, and only 8 percent of U.S. adults eat at least three servings of whole grains daily. The average intake of fruits and vegetables is 3.4 servings per day with fewer than a quarter of U.S. adults eating the recommended five-a-day. Vegetarians tend to eat more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, and some have speculated that this explains why vegetarians have lower rates of heart disease and other chronic diseases.

A recent large (15,792 participants) study looked at the amounts of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains U.S. adults ate and looked for connections between their diets and the occurrence of certain diseases. Not surprisingly, those people who ate more whole grains had a lower total mortality (they were less likely to die) and a lower risk of heart disease. Those who ate more fruits and vegetables also had a lower total mortality. African-Americans who ate more fruits and vegetables were less likely to have heart disease than other African-Americans, but this association was not seen in whites. Intakes of whole grains, fruits, and vegetables did not seem to affect the risk of stroke. This report provides more support for recommendations to eat more whole grains, fruits, and vegetables--in other words, a more plant-based diet.

Steffen LM, Jacobs DR, Jr, Stevens J, et al. 2003. Associations of whole-grain, refined-grain, and fruit and vegetable consumption with risks of all-cause mortality and incident coronary artery disease and ischemic stroke: the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study. Am J Clin Nutr 78:383-90.