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Increased intake of fruits, vegetables may lower risk for PAD
Patients who consumed three or more servings of fruits and vegetables per day had decreased rates of peripheral artery disease compared with those who had lower intake, according to a study in Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology.
“Unfortunately, fruit and vegetable intake is quite low across the entire United States,” Jeffrey S. Berger, MD, associate professor in the department of medicine, Leon H. Charney Division of Cardiology, and the department of surgery, division of vascular and endovascular surgery, at NYU Langone Medical Center, said in an interview with Cardiology Today. “The current study provides important information for the public. Something as simple as eating fruits and vegetables could have a major impact on the prevalence of a life-altering disease, such as [PAD].”
Sean P. Heffron, MD, MS, MSc, an instructor in the division of cardiology, department of medicine, New York University School of Medicine, and colleagues analyzed data from 3,696,778 participants (mean age, 64 years; 64% women), of whom 233,958 (6.3%) had PAD, defined by an ankle-brachial index less than 0.9 or a prior lower-extremity revascularization procedure. Participants completed questionnaires on risk factors, demographics, physical activity, medical history and dietary intake between 2003 and 2008.
A daily intake of at least three servings of fruits and vegetables was reported by 29.2% of participants. Daily consumption of fruits and vegetables was associated with participants who were older women, led a non-sedentary lifestyle, had an increased income and consumed nuts, fish and red meat frequently. Those who consumed three or fewer servings of fruits and vegetables were more likely to be of nonwhite race, to be currently unmarried, to frequently consume fast food and to be a current or former smoker.
Fruit and vegetable intake was inversely associated with the prevalence of PAD after multivariable adjustment for sex, age, clinical risk factors and race/ethnicity (P for trend < .001). The rate of PAD was 18% lower in participants who reported a daily intake of more than three servings of fruits and vegetables than those who reported consumption that was less than monthly.
Researchers stratified participants by smoking status, and only those who currently or formerly smoked were affected by the inverse association between increasing fruit and vegetable intake and PAD.
In crude and multivariable-adjusted models, fruit and vegetable intake was inversely associated with decreasing ankle-brachial index.
“We hope that studies like this can be an important reminder on the role we as consumers have on heart disease and stroke,” Berger told Cardiology Today. “We often remember to take our medication, yet studies like this should remind us to eat our fruits and veggies every day. Moreover, we should continue reminding our young generation of this importance now before disease develops.” – by Darlene Dobkowski
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.