Could a Colourful Five-A-Day Reduce Your Risk of ALS?

Getting plenty of fruits and vegetables is not only good for your wellness in terms of weight loss, but new research suggests that eating certain colourful fruits and veggies can improve your wellbeing by preventing or delaying the onset of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

The study, which was published in Annals of Neurology, a journal of the American Neurological Association and Child Neurology Society, found that whilst foods that contain colourful carotenoids, such as beta-carotene and lutein, may prevent or delay ALS, having a diet high in lycopene, beta-cryptoxanthin, and vitamin C did not reduce ALS risk. ALS is also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, and is a condition that attacks the nerve cells in your brain and spinal cord that control your muscles, thereby weakening your muscle control and leading to paralysis.

According to senior author Dr. Alberto Ascherio, Professor of Epidemiology and Nutrition at Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, ‘ALS is a devastating degenerative disease that generally develops between the ages of 40 and 70, and affects more men than women. Understanding the impact of food consumption on ALS development is important. Our study is one of the largest to date to examine the role of dietary antioxidants in preventing ALS.’

The team found that people who consumed more carotenoids in their diets, which are a source of dietary vitamin A that gives fruits and vegetables their bright orange, red or yellow colours, were more likely to exercise, have an advanced degree, have higher vitamin C consumption, and take vitamin C and E supplements, as well as a reduced risk of ALS. The researchers also discovered that people with diets high in beta-carotene and lutein, which is found in dark green vegetables, had a lower risk ALS risk, whereas lycopene, beta-cryptoxanthin, and vitamin C didn’t appear to do anything to reduced the risk of ALS.

The reason for this may be that carotenoids are antioxidants, as previous studies have shown that oxidative stress plays a role in the development of ALS. Ascherio concluded, ‘Our findings suggest that consuming carotenoid-rich foods may help prevent or delay the onset of ALS. Further food-based analyses are needed to examine the impact of dietary nutrients on ALS.’