This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Health & Fitness

Stroke Prevention May Be as Easy as Eating More Fruit

Health & Fitness


A large, new study has discovered that the more fruit you eat, the lower your risk of stroke. Chinese researchers examined 20 studies from the past 19 years to find that, for every 200 grams of fruit people eat daily – equivalent to about two servings – their chance of stroke drops by 32 percent. What's more, adding the same amount of vegetables to your daily diet can reduce the risk of stroke by 11 percent.

Researchers also found that the most beneficial types of produce are citrus fruits, apples and pears, and leafy green vegetables. "The findings are consistent with the current knowledge that increasing consumption of fruits and vegetables should be encouraged to prevent stroke," says study author Dr. Yan Qu. "The more consumption of fruits and vegetables, the better for stroke prevention."

According to Qu, eating fruits and vegetables helps lower blood pressure and can improve vessel function while working to reduce inflammation, unhealthy cholesterol levels, and other risk factors that can lead to stroke. The American Heart Association encourages everyone to eat four to five servings of fruits and vegetables daily.

Find out what's happening in Vernon Hillswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?