Increasing Daily Intake of Fruits and Veggies Helps Cut Stroke Risk: Study

Individuals who regularly eat fruits and vegetables have low chances of getting stroke, according to a study.
We are told since childhood to eat sufficient amount of fruits and vegetables to live a healthy and disease-free life. Researchers from China used data from past 20 studies conducted in the last 19 years that involved more than 760,000 people from the U.S., Asia and Europe. They found the daily intake of 200 grams of fruits and vegetables can help ward-off stroke risk by 32 and 11 percent, respectively.
Participants of all age groups and gender experienced a considerable decline in risk of strokes caused by ischemic clots and hemorrhages. It was observed that eating citrus fruits, leafy vegetables, apples and pears reduced probability of getting strokes.
"Improving diet and lifestyle is critical for heart and stroke risk reduction in the general population, said Yan Qu, study author and director of the intensive care unit at Qingdao Municipal Hospital in China in a news release."In particular, a diet rich in fruits and vegetables is highly recommended because it meets micronutrient and macronutrient and fiber requirements without adding substantially to overall energy requirements."
According to the data by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention strokes are the fourth leading cause of death in the country and almost 800, 000 Americans are affected with the condition in a year. A recent study by the Harvard University suggests eating five to 13 servings of fruits and vegetables protects against development of cancer, heart diseases, vision loss, muscular degeneration, blood pressure and even strokes.
The guidelines by the World health Organization recommends increasing consumption of fruits and vegetables up to 600 grams everyday can curb ischemic stroke rates by 19 percent. However, the current study did not help determine if eating these healthy diets were alone responsible for avoiding strokes among the participants.
The study authors believe lower stroke risk may be linked to health benefits like improved blood pressure, decline in overall body fat, cholesterol levels, inflammation and blood vessel function attained by eating fruits and vegetables.
More information is available online in the journal Stroke.