Scientific Updates /
Wide variety of different types of fruit recommended for cardiovascular health
21 April 2016
/f/155293/1779x1002/c68d55b0bd/wide-variety-of-fruit.jpg)
2015 Alpro Foundation Award for best scientific publication
Dr Heidi Lai, University of Leeds, UK
International dietary recommendaitons and clinical practice guidelines for cardiovascular health are universal in their advice to consume fruit and vegetables.(1) In addition to providing essential vitamins and minerals and other bioactive compounds, fruit and vegetables consumption has been shown to benefit cardiovascular health.(2)
Dr Lai, winner of the 2015 Alpro Foundation Award, aimed to further explore the association between total and the type of fruit consumed, according to polyphenol content, and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality in UK women. Dr Lai used data from the UK Women’s Cohort Study(3) which included 30,458 women who were followed for an average of 16.7 years. Lifestyle, anthropometric and dietary data of these women were compared to cardiovascular mortality.
Key findings
Dr Lai demonstrated that women with the highest total fruit intake (more than 7 portions a day) had a 43% lower risk of premature death from CVD compared to women with the lowest fruit intake (less than 2 portions a day).
A clear dose-response effect was observed: every additional fruit portion (80 g/d) lowered the risk for a fatal CVD by 8%. The women with a higher fruit intake also reported other healthy lifestyle habits such as high vegetable consumption, lower alcohol intake, lower smoking rates and higher levels of physical activity.
The novelty of this study was to group fruits by their polyphenol profile. Although this approach did not identify specific fruit types with enhanced CVD benefits.
Additional analysis resulted in further agreement with previous studies, that women with an active lifestyle and who followed a vegetarian lifestyle were less likely to die from heart disease. Women from the cohort who died from either a stroke or coronary heart disease had a higher BMI and larger waist circumference. These women were also less physically active and were less likely to follow a vegetarian eating pattern compared to the women without a heart condition.
Conclusion
A wide variety of different types of fruit alongside an overall healthy and active lifestyle is beneficial for cardiovascular health. Additionally, the dose response clearly demonstrates that increasing fruit intake by just one serving daily can help produce some cardiovascular benefits.
Find out more about Alpro Foundation Awards.
References
Montagnese C, Santarpia L, Buonifacio M, et al. European food-based dietary guidelines: a comparison and update. Nutrition. 2015;31(7-8):908-915. doi:10.1016/j.nut.2015.01.002
Liu RH. Health-promoting components of fruits and vegetables in the diet. Adv Nutr. 2013;4(3):384S-92S. doi:10.3945/an.112.003517
Lai H et al, Fruit intake and cardiovascular disease mortality in the UK Women’s Cohort Study. Eur J Epidemiol 2015; 30(9):1035-48