TIME Magazine
How New Heart-Scanning Technology Could Save Your Life
More and more, doctors are diagnosing coronary disease without any invasive tests whatever
One Meal to Good (or Bad) Health
Everyone knows a good diet is important for long-term well-being. But a new study shows that it's also crucial for good health today
Cardiac Arrest at 25? It Happens — and More Often
Deaths from sudden cardiac arrests are on the rise among young adults, a new CDC study suggests. Most at risk? Young women
Testing for Heart Risk More Cheaply
Fast, inexpensive, noninvasive patient exams offer hope for more effective treatment of heart disease in the developing world
The No. 1 Killer of Women
More than 500,000 women in the U.S. die each year of cardiovascular disease, making it, not breast cancer (40,000 deaths annually), their No. 1 killer
Another Win for Vegetables
New research suggests that eating a mixture of vegetables reduces hardening of the arteries in mice
Why Men Go to the Hospital
Because men tend to delay care and treatment of disease, their prognosis once they wind up in the hospital is worse than it is for women and girls
How Stress Harms the Heart
Studies show that chronic stress contributes to heart attacks and other disease, and researchers think it's time to make stress reduction a medical priority
Get Moving!
Americans today aren't burning enough calories to maintain good health. Being inactive is as bad as being overweight
Obesity Is Contagious, Study Finds
Research shows that who you're friends with can have a profound impact on whether you're overweight
Another Win for Vegetables
By CAROLYN BANTA
Posted Monday, Jun. 19, 2006 Do you hate eating vegetables? Do you pass the plate of string beans and gag at the sight of broccoli when it crosses your path at the dinner table? Well, if you are concerned about heart health - you may want to think again. While it is no surprise that vegetables are good for you, new research suggests that eating a mixture of vegetables reduces hardening of the arteries in mice.
Researchers at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine performed a study on the effects of vegetable intake on the development of atherosclerosis in mice. In atherosclerosis, fatty materials accumulate, harden, and thicken on the blood vessel walls. This hardening can potentially block the arteries and impede blood flow causing both heart attacks and strokes.
The study compared mice that ate a mixture of five common vegetables - broccoli, green beans, corn, peas, and carrots with mice that were on a vegetable-free diet. The five vegetables sampled were among the top-10 most consumed vegetables in the U.S. The mice were specially bred to rapidly develop atherosclerosis and have bad cholesterol.
The researchers found that the plaques in the vessels were 38% smaller in the mice that were fed vegetables. In addition, there were slight improvements in the mice body weight and cholesterol levels. The development of atherosclerosis was measured by testing the accumulation of two types of cholesterol that are found in the plaques - a commonly accepted method for measuring plaque in the blood vessels.
Atherosclerosis is also linked with inflammation in the arteries. Since the researchers also found a 37% reduction in the mice inflammatory activity, they suspect that vegetables may inhibit the development of atherosclerosis through antioxidant and anti-inflammatory pathways. The scientists results will be published in the Journal of Nutrition.
What it Means: While plenty of research supports the vital role of vegetables in overall health, this is the first study that links eating them to the development of atherosclerosis. If eating a mixture of vegetables proves to have the same results in humans it could help prevent the progression of atherosclerosis leading to a reduction in heart attacks and strokes.
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