Mice Study Suggests Veggies May Reduce Atherosclerosis Risk
Posted on June 20, 2006
The BBC reports that a study on mice suggests that eating veggies may reduce the risk of atherosclerosis, or artery hardening. The scientists studies two groups of mice: one group received vegetables while the other group did not. The group of mice eating the veggies had 38% smaller artery plaques.
Half the mice were fed a vegetable-free diet and half the mice were fed a diet which included broccoli, green beans, corn, peas and carrots.Atherosclerosis increases the likelihood of a stroke. Any reduction in the risk of having a stroke is a good thing. This appears to be just one more benefit of eating a wide variety of fruits and vegetables.After 16 weeks, researchers measured cholesterol content in the blood vessels and estimated that plaques in the arteries of the mice were 38% smaller.
Although there was also a reduction in total cholesterol and body weight in mice fed the vegetable-rich diet, analysis showed that this could not explain the reduction in atherosclerosis.
Lead researcher Dr Michael Adams said: "While everyone knows that eating more vegetables is supposed to be good for you, no-one had shown before that it can actually inhibit the development of atherosclerosis."
