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Dutch researchers report shows that, fruits and vegetables whose edible sections are white may lower your risk of stroke than other fruits and vegetables. Intake of 25 grams of white fruits and vegetables per day led to a 9% decrease in the risk of stroke. According to the study, published in the November issue of Stroke, apples and pears were the most commonly consumed white fruit.
Author Linda M. Oude Greip, a postdoctoral fellow at Wageningen University in the Netherlands study said, the risk of stroke incidence was 52 percent lower for people with a high intake of white fruits and vegetables, compared to the people with a low intake.
Linda M. Oude Greip also pointed out that the findings don’t mean it’s better to stop eating other fruits and vegetables. Because other fruit and vegetable color groups may protect against other chronic diseases, she stressed. She said past research has shown that higher fruit and vegetable consumption can lower the risk of stroke. But none of that research looked at specific fruits and vegetables to see if any contributed more to the reduced risk than the others.
She used data collected by the National Institute of Public Health and the Environment of the Netherlands that included more than 20,000 people. Study participants were between the ages of 20 and 65 at the start of the study, and none showed any signs of cardiovascular disease. All of the study volunteers completed a 178-item food frequency survey. The study then included 10 years of follow-up information on the participants’ health. During the follow-up period, 233 people had a stroke.
The only group that was associated with a significant decrease in stroke risk was white fruits and vegetables. Oude Greip said it’s not clear what components in white fruit might be protective for stroke, but she believes that the dietary fiber and the flavonoids play a role, where apples and pears are high in a flavonoid called quercetin.
Shapiro also pointed out; it’s difficult to single out what it is about white fruits that might reduce the risk of stroke. It’s really the whole foods. She said that she wouldn’t recommend limiting your diet to just white fruits and veggies. She added, “Eat the rainbow of fruits and vegetables”. It provides certain nutrients that combine and interplay with others.