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Fruit, vegetable consumption may reduce stroke risk
In a new meta-analysis, adults who reported consuming high amounts of fruits and vegetables had a reduced risk for stroke compared with adults who reported consuming low amounts.
The meta-analysis included data from 760,729 participants who were followed for a range of 3 to 37 years. All studies had stroke as the primary outcome of interest, and used fruits and vegetables as the exposure of interest.
“Results from this meta-analysis support the hypothesis that consumption of vegetables and fruits could reduce the risk of stroke,” Yan Qu, MD, director of the ICU at Qingdao Municipal Hospital in Qingdao, China, and colleagues wrote in the study.
Multivariable analysis indicated a reduced risk for stroke among patients who reported the highest amount of fruit and vegetable consumption compared with the lowest amount (RR=0.79; 95% CI, 0.75-0.84). Exclusion of two trials that did not adjust for patient age yielded similar results (RR=0.79; 95% CI, 0.74-0.83).
The researchers observed borderline publication bias (P=.05) and small-study effects, but exclusion of three studies with small-study effects eliminated publication bias, with similar results for stroke risk reduction (RR=0.81; 95% CI, 0.77-0.84).
Assessment of fruit and vegetable consumption separately indicated an RR of 0.77 (95% CI, 0.71-0.84) for stroke for the highest vs. lowest fruit consumption, and 0.86 (95% CI, 0.79-0.93) for the highest vs. lowest vegetable consumption. Subgroup analyses yielded similar results for both fruit and vegetable consumption.
Researchers also performed a dose-response analysis for both fruit and vegetable consumption, using data from eight studies and 9,706 stroke cases for fruit consumption and six studies involving 8,854 stroke cases for vegetable consumption. They observed a 32% reduction in stroke risk for every 200 g of fruit consumed daily (P=.77 for nonlinearity), with an 11% reduction in risk for every 200 g of vegetables consumed daily (P=.62 for nonlinearity).
Subgroup analysis according to specific fruits and vegetables indicated an association between stroke risk and the consumption of citrus fruits (RR=0.72; 95% CI, 0.59-0.88), apples and pears (RR=0.88; 95% CI, 0.81-0.97) and leafy vegetables (RR=0.88; 95% CI, 0.79-0.98). A similar trend was not observed for onions, leeks, garlic, or cruciferous or root vegetables.
“Improving diet and lifestyle is critical for heart and stroke risk reduction in the general population,” Qu said in a press release. “In particular, a diet rich in fruits and vegetables is highly recommended because it meets micronutrient and macronutrient and fiber requirements without adding substantially to overall energy requirements.”
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.