Study explores if eating vegetables protects against cardiovascular diseases

Oxford : Researchers from the Nuffield Department of Population Health at the University of Oxford, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and the University of Bristol found no evidence that a diet rich in vegetables will also lower the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD).
The large-scale new study was published in ‘Frontiers in Nutrition’.
That the consumption of vegetables might lower the risk of CVD might, at first sight, seem plausible, as their ingredients such as carotenoids and alpha-tocopherol have properties that could protect against CVD. But so far, the evidence from previous studies for an overall effect of vegetable consumption on CVD has been inconsistent.
The results from the powerful, large-scale study showed that higher consumption of cooked or uncooked vegetables is unlikely to affect the risk of CVD. They also explained how confounding factors might have explained previous spurious, positive findings.
“The UK Biobank is a large-scale prospective study on how genetics and environment contribute to the development of the most common and life-threatening diseases. Here we make use of the UK Biobank’s large sample size, long-term follow-up, and detailed information on social and lifestyle factors, to assess reliably the association of vegetable intake with the risk of subsequent CVD,” said Prof Naomi Allen, UK Biobank’s chief scientist and co-author on the study.
The UK Biobank followed the health of half a million adults in the UK by linking to their healthcare records. Upon their enrollment in 2006-2010, these volunteers were interviewed about their diet, lifestyle, medical and reproductive history, and other factors.