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.
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."

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.