Daily Fruits and Vegetable Consumption Cuts Risk of Aneurysm

Eating healthy fruits and vegetables is a general good rule of thumb when it comes to living a healthy lifestyle, and new research from Sweden found that consuming more fruit could lower risks for an often-lethal form of aortic aneurysm.

An abdominal aortic aneurysm is a swelling in the wall of the part of the aorta - which is the largest artery in the body -- that is found in the abdomen. . Although they are relatively rare, it can be lethal. Older men, especially those who have smoked, are at higher risk. Ultrasound screening can easily detect the condition.

The researchers, led by Dr. Otto Stackelberg of the Karolinska Institute, published their findings in the American Heart Association's journal Circulation.

The long-running study looked at data from over 80,000 people between the ages of 46 and 84 years and divided them into four groups based on the amount of fruit and vegetable they ate each day. Over a 13-year period, they found that 1,086 people had abdominal aortic aneurysms, 222 of which ruptured.

The study also noted that compared to those eating the least amount of fruit (less than 1 full serving), those who ate the most (more than 2 servings daily, not counting juice) had a 25 percent lower risk of the aortic condition and 43 percent lower risk of a ruptured aneurysm. Compared to those who didn't eat any fruit, those who had 2 servings a day had a 31 percent lower risk of a nonruptured aneurysm and a 39 percent lower risk of a ruptured aneurysm.

"A high consumption of fruits may help to prevent many vascular diseases, and our study suggests that a lower risk of abdominal aortic aneurysm will be among the benefits," lead author Dr. Otto Stackelberg, a Ph.D. student in the nutritional epidemiology unit of the Institute of Environmental Medicine at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, said in a journal news release.

The study noted that eating lots of vegetables, which are also rich in antioxidants, did not reduce the risk of abdominal aortic aneurysm. Vegetables lack some types of antioxidants that are found in fruits, Stackelberg said.

"Vegetables remain important for health," he said. "Other studies have found that eating more fruits and vegetables may decrease the risk of cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and several cancers."