Broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and brussels sprouts are most beneficial
WEDNESDAY, April 4, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Eating more vegetables may prevent subclinical atherosclerosis in elderly women, according to a study published online April 4 in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
Lauren C. Blekkenhorst, from Edith Cowan University in Joondalup, Australia, and colleagues investigated the associations of total vegetable intake and specific vegetables grouped by phytochemical constituents with common carotid artery intima-media thickness (CCA-IMT) and carotid plaque severity in a cohort of older adult women (aged ≥70 years).
The researchers found that women consuming at least three servings of vegetables each day had lower mean CCA-IMT (P = 0.014) and maximum CCA-IMT (P = 0.004) versus participants consuming less than two servings of vegetables. There was an associated 0.006 mm (0.8 percent) lower mean CCA-IMT (P < 0.01) and 0.007 mm (0.8 percent) lower maximum CCA-IMT (P < 0.01) for each 10 g/d higher in cruciferous vegetable intake. There was no association between other vegetable types and CCA-IMT (P > 0.05). Furthermore, there were no associations between vegetables and plaque severity (P > 0.05).
“Increasing vegetables in the diet with a focus on consuming cruciferous vegetables may have benefits for the prevention of subclinical atherosclerosis in older adult women,” the authors write.
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