Research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (October 6, 1999;282(13):1233–1239) reported that higher fruit and vegetable consumption was linked with a lower risk of ischemic stroke.
The study analyzed data from 75,596 women ages 34 to 59 and 36,683 men ages 40 to 75 participating in the Nurses’ Health Study and a parallel male health professional cohort. All participants were free of cardiovascular disease at baseline. Men were followed for eight years and women for fourteen years.
During the follow-up period, 366 women and 204 men experienced an ischemic stroke. Participants with the highest intake of fruits and vegetables had the lowest risk of stroke. Each additional daily serving of fruits or vegetables was associated with an approximately 6% reduction in ischemic stroke risk.
As an observational study, these findings do not establish cause and effect. However, they support a consistent pattern seen across nutrition research, suggesting that diets rich in fruits and vegetables are linked with better vascular and cerebrovascular health.
