Eating More Fruits, Vegetables May Lower Risk of Leg-artery Blockages

DALLAS — Eating three or more servings of fruit and vegetables per day may lower one’s risk of developing peripheral artery disease (PAD), according to new research in Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology, an American Heart Assoc. journal.

PAD narrows the arteries of the legs, limiting blood flow to the muscles and making it difficult or painful to walk or stand. Previous studies linked lower consumption of fruits and vegetables with the increased occurrence of coronary heart disease and stroke. However, there has been little research into the association between eating fruits and vegetables and PAD.

After studying data from 3.7 million people, researchers found that people who reported eating three or more daily servings of fruits and vegetables had 18{06cf2b9696b159f874511d23dbc893eb1ac83014175ed30550cfff22781411e5} lower odds of PAD than those reporting eating less. When stratified by smoking status, the association of lower PAD and increased fruits and vegetables was present only among participants who were current or former smokers. Overall, 6.3{06cf2b9696b159f874511d23dbc893eb1ac83014175ed30550cfff22781411e5} of participants had PAD, and 29.2{06cf2b9696b159f874511d23dbc893eb1ac83014175ed30550cfff22781411e5} reported eating three or more servings of fruits and vegetables daily.

“Our current study provides important information to the public that something as simple as adding more fruits and vegetables to your diet could have a major impact on the prevalence of life-altering peripheral artery disease,” said Dr. Jeffrey Berger, study co-author and associate professor of Medicine and Surgery at New York University School of Medicine in New York City.

Participants, average age 64 (64{06cf2b9696b159f874511d23dbc893eb1ac83014175ed30550cfff22781411e5} women, nearly 90{06cf2b9696b159f874511d23dbc893eb1ac83014175ed30550cfff22781411e5} white), completed medical and lifestyle questionnaires and ankle brachial index tests at more than 20,000 sites across America. An ankle brachial index test is a comparison of blood-pressure differences between readings at the ankle and the forearm. Researchers also said their study confirmed that Americans’ overall fruit and vegetable intake remains dismally low.

The association of fruit and vegetable intake and lower PAD risk persisted after accounting for age, gender, race, smoking status, and multiple other cardiovascular risk factors. Researchers noted that older white women were most likely to eat three or more servings of fruits and vegetables daily, while younger black men were the least likely to report daily intake of three or more servings of fruits and vegetables. Low fruit and vegetable intake was particularly associated with PAD among current and former smokers.

“Our study gives further evidence for the importance of incorporating more fruits and vegetables in the diet,” said Dr. Sean Heffron, study co-author and instructor in Medicine at New York University School of Medicine. “One-on-one dietary assessments and counseling for PAD patients, as well as greater public-health awareness of the importance of fruit and vegetable consumption, are both needed.”