Help Prevent a Stroke: Eat More Fruits and Vegetables

There is now evidence that supports an inverse relationship between having a stroke and the amount of fruits and vegetables consumed.  That is, the more fruits and vegetables you eat the lower your risk for having a stroke.

A large study of men and women involving 20,000 participants was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition was published in January 2008.  In this study, the researchers examined the amount of vitamin C levels in the blood and compared this to the amount of fruits and vegetables that were eaten.  The researchers did control for the intake of vitamin C supplementation by the participants.  The study spanned over almost 10 years and at the end of this study time there had been 448 strokes out of the 20,000 participants.  Individuals who had higher levels of vitamin C in their blood from fruits and vegetables were less likely to suffer from a stroke.

It has long been known that the consumption of fruits and vegetables has a positive effect on our health, but now we can also add the decreased risk of having a stroke to the long list of benefits.

For more information: “Plasma vitamin C concentrations predict risk of incident stroke over 10 years in 20,649 participants of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer–Norfolk prospective population study.” Myint PK, Luben RN, Welch AA, et al, Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, vol 87, Jan 2008.