Elderly women should eat broccoli to reduce their risk of stroke, study finds

Women who eat broccoli, cauliflower and Brussel sprouts are less likely to suffer strokes, research shows.

Those who ate three or more portions of any types of these vegetables a day had much healthier blood vessels.

The study also found that the ‘cruciferous’ group vegetables were particularly beneficial.

These include broccoli, cauliflower, kale, turnips, sprouts, bok choi and greens.

The study, by Australian researchers, looked at the thickness of their carotid arteries, a major blood vessel in the neck.

If this is above a certain thickness it can restrict the blood flow to the brain and increase the risk of a stroke. 

Women who eat broccoli, cauliflower and Brussel sprouts are less likely to suffer strokes

ARE HEALTHY DIETS OR MEDICATION MORE EFFECTIVE AT LOWERING BLOOD PRESSURE?

Low-salt diets packed with fruit and vegetables lower blood pressure more than medication after just four weeks, a Harvard University study suggested in November 2017.

Cutting out salt and eating lots of fruit, vegetables and low-fat dairy, reduces people with high blood pressure’s results by an average of 21 mm Hg, the research adds.

To put that into context, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the US’ drug-approving body, will not accept anti-hypertension medications unless they lower blood pressure by at least 3-4 mm Hg.

Most medications typically reduce hypertension readings by between 10 and 15 mm Hg, but come with side effects including fatigue, dizziness and headache.

Study author Dr Lawrence Appel said: ‘What we’re observing from the combined dietary intervention is a reduction in systolic blood pressure as high as, if not greater than, that achieved with prescription drugs.

‘It’s an important message to patients that they can get a lot of mileage out of adhering to a healthy and low-sodium diet.’

Around 32 percent of adults in the US, and one in four in the UK, have high blood pressure, which puts them at risk of heart disease and stroke. 

The researchers analyzed 412 people with early-stage hypertension who were not taking high blood pressure medication.

Some of the study’s participants were fed a ‘DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet’, which includes lots of fruit, vegetables and low-fat dairy products, with minimal saturated fat.

The remaining participants ate a typical American diet.

All of the participants were fed different sodium levels equaling around 0.5, one or two teaspoons of salt a day over four weeks with five-day breaks in between. 

Reduces the risk of stroke  

The study is the first of its kind to examine how eating certain vegetables can affect the blood vessels.

Researchers from the University of Western Australia in Crawley distributed food questionnaires to 954 women aged 70 and over.

They then performed ultrasound tests to measure the thickness of their carotid arteries.

The carotid arteries for women who ate three or more portions of vegetables a day were 0.05mm thinner than those who ate none.

Although this is only a fractional difference, reducing the thickness by just 0.1 mm can lower the risk of stroke by up to a fifth.

The study, published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, also found that cruciferous vegetables were particularly effective.

Vegetables tackle underlying cause of heart disease 

The carotid arteries thicken due to the build-up of plaque, formed by fatty deposits.

If these are thick it is likely that other blood vessels around the body are also thick, a condition known as atherosclerosis.

This greatly increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

Dr Lauren Blekkenhorst, the lead author said: ‘This is one of only a few studies that have explored the potential impact of different types of vegetables on measures of subclinical atherosclerosis, the underlying cause of cardiovascular disease.

‘After adjusting for lifestyle, cardiovascular disease risk factors (including medication use) as well as other vegetable types and dietary factors, our results continued to show a protective association between cruciferous vegetables and carotid artery wall thickness.

‘Still, dietary guidelines should highlight the importance of increasing consumption of cruciferous vegetables for protection from vascular disease.’

Although the study was carried out in women, similar benefits are likely to be seen in men.

Heart disease which includes heart attacks and strokes is the second biggest killer in the UK after dementia.

It claims 160,000 lives each year and costs the economy approximately £19 billion annually. 



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