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Eating
our daily quota of fruits and vegetables should be a
no-brainer by now, as we have long heard of the health
benefits accompanying a balanced diet. And now researchers
have discovered that eating more fruit could lower risks for
an often-lethal form of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA).
After dividing over 80,000 people between the ages of 46 and
84 years into four groups based on the amount of fruit and
vegetable they ate each day, the researchers then embarked
on a 13-year follow-up study. During that time, they found
that 1,086 people had abdominal aortic aneurysms, 222 of
which ruptured. This type of aortic aneurysm involves a
swelling of the lower part of the aorta, the body's main
artery. Though rare, the researchers note, it is lethal in
many cases. Men in the study accounted for over 80% of
aneurysms, ruptured aneurysms included. Compared with the
group who ate the least amount of fruit (less than one daily
serving), those who ate the most fruit (over two servings)
had a 25% lower risk of developing an aneurysm and a 43%
lower risk of one that ruptured. Fruit juice did not count
towards servings in the study. Additionally, compared with
the group who did not eat any fruit at all, the high
fruit-eaters had a 31% lower risk of an aneurysm and a 39%
lower risk of a ruptured one. The types of fruits the
subjects ate were mainly apples and pears, followed by
bananas, oranges and other fruits of the citrus variety. The
researchers say that abdominal aortic aneurysm is often
asymptomatic and occurs in up to 4.5% of men over 65 years
of age. In women of the same age group, up to 1.3% are
affected. Though ultrasounds have been used for screening
the condition, they say these abdominal aneurysms are highly
likely to be lethal, citing a mortality risk of 70% before
surgery and 35% after. The authors suggest that the high
levels of antioxidants in fruit may be providing the
protective effect, through inhibition of oxidative stress,
which can encourage inflammation. Vegetables - also high in
antioxidants - did not seem to affect the risk level for
abdominal aortic aneurysm, possibly because some vegetables
lack fruit antioxidants, say the researchers. "Vegetables
remain important for health. Other studies have found that
eating more fruits and vegetables may decrease the risk of
cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, high blood
pressure, and several cancers" – he added. |