Eating more fruits and vegetables could significantly reduce one’s risk of suffering a stroke.
Researchers determined that every 200 grams of fruit a person ate per day reduced their risk of stroke by 32 percent. Every 200 grams of vegetables reduced the risk of stroke by 22 percent, an American Heart Association news release reported.
“Improving diet and lifestyle is critical for heart and stroke risk reduction in the general population,” Yan Qu, M.D., the study’s senior author, director of the intensive care unit at Qingdao Municipal Hospital and professor at the Medical College of Qingdao University in Qingdao, China, said in the 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.”
Macronutrients provide the body with fat, carbohydrates, and protein while micronutrients contain vitamins and minerals.
Fruits and vegetables can lower blood pressure and improve microvascular function, reducing the risk of stroke.
The findings were made after the researchers adjusted for health and lifestyle factors such as “smoking, alcohol, blood pressure, cholesterol, physical activity, body mass index and other differences in diet,” the news release reported.
The World Health Organization said Increasing the consumption of fruits and vegetables by 600 grams a day could reduce the prevalence of stroke by 19 percent across the entire world, the news release reported.
Low and middle-income regions have the highest prevalence of low fruit and vegetable consumption.
The leading cause of death in China is stroke; it killed about 1.7 million people in 2010. In the U.S. strokes are the number four cause of death.
“The American Heart Association advises the average adult to eat four to five servings each of fruits and vegetables daily, based on a 2,000-calorie diet. A diet rich in a variety of colors and types of vegetables and fruits is a way of getting important nutrients that most people don’t get enough of, including vitamins, minerals, and dietary fiber. They are also naturally low in saturated fat,” the news release reported.