Effect of fruit and vegetable intake on CVD risk factors in humans

TY - CHAP

T1 - Effect of fruit and vegetable intake on CVD risk factors in humans

AU - Dragsted, Lars Ove

N1 - CURIS 2013 NEXS 217

PY - 2013/1/1

Y1 - 2013/1/1

N2 - Only about 50 years ago, fruit and vegetables (F&Vs) have been thought of as relatively low in most nutrients and therefore of limited value in nutrition. Most focus on vegetables in relation to cardiovascular disease (CVD) was related to the preventive actions of certain vegetable oils on thrombosis (Malmros 1969; Owren 1965). Several observational studies with ecological, case-control, or cohort design started soon after to change this picture, and the notion that F&Vs had a general protective effect against chronic diseases spurred the antioxidant hypothesis of prevention that dominated the thinking in the following 30-40 years. Today, this specific mechanistic hypothesis has been severely weakened, while larger prospective studies have provided additional observational evidence for an inverse association between F&V intakes and diseases of the cardiovascular system. Long-term intervention studies would be needed in order to supply firm evidence for a cause-and effect relationship between F&V intake and CVD. Such studies are impractical because of their long-term perspective and the impossibility of blinding. The few existing studies with harder endpoints related to CVD are on secondary prevention. Since several risk markers of CVD are known, it is more feasible to conduct shorter-term dietary intervention studies to address the question of fruit, vegetables, and prevention of these risk markers. Such studies may also be applied to address the question of whether any kind of fruit or vegetable would have the same actions, or if certain classes of these commodities are more preventive, generally or with respect to specific actions. In this chapter, the current evidence for a relationship between general F&V intake with risk of CVD and the human evidence relating to the mechanisms behind such actions are critically reviewed.

AB - Only about 50 years ago, fruit and vegetables (F&Vs) have been thought of as relatively low in most nutrients and therefore of limited value in nutrition. Most focus on vegetables in relation to cardiovascular disease (CVD) was related to the preventive actions of certain vegetable oils on thrombosis (Malmros 1969; Owren 1965). Several observational studies with ecological, case-control, or cohort design started soon after to change this picture, and the notion that F&Vs had a general protective effect against chronic diseases spurred the antioxidant hypothesis of prevention that dominated the thinking in the following 30-40 years. Today, this specific mechanistic hypothesis has been severely weakened, while larger prospective studies have provided additional observational evidence for an inverse association between F&V intakes and diseases of the cardiovascular system. Long-term intervention studies would be needed in order to supply firm evidence for a cause-and effect relationship between F&V intake and CVD. Such studies are impractical because of their long-term perspective and the impossibility of blinding. The few existing studies with harder endpoints related to CVD are on secondary prevention. Since several risk markers of CVD are known, it is more feasible to conduct shorter-term dietary intervention studies to address the question of fruit, vegetables, and prevention of these risk markers. Such studies may also be applied to address the question of whether any kind of fruit or vegetable would have the same actions, or if certain classes of these commodities are more preventive, generally or with respect to specific actions. In this chapter, the current evidence for a relationship between general F&V intake with risk of CVD and the human evidence relating to the mechanisms behind such actions are critically reviewed.

M3 - Book chapter

SP - 501

EP - 527

BT - Cardiovascular Diseases

A2 - Maulik, Nilanjana

PB - CRC Press

CY - Boca Raton, FL

ER -