A visit with the family doctor probably means you'll end up with a prescription for some sort of medication. We're either treating an existing illness or trying to prevent the next.
Blood pressure medication, cholesterol lowering drugs and even blood thinner prescriptions are doled out in an effort to prevent stroke and cardiovascular disease. What if your doctor "prescribed" fruits and vegetables for stroke prevention?
A recent analysis shows that by eating vitamin C rich fruits and vegetables, you can cut your risk of stroke by 42%. That's pretty significant, especially when you compare drug trials for stroke prevention.
Plavix is recommended for many high risk patients, and it does reduce your risk of stroke - by 8.7 - 9.4% (1).
Don't stop taking your Plavix in favor of fruits and vegetables. Read the following and incorporate good eating into your daily medical regimen. It only makes sense that you'll cut your risk of stroke even further.
Lead author Phyo Kyaw Myint, MRCP, from the clinical gerontology unit at Addenbrooke's University Hospital in Cambridge, United Kingdom writes: "We explored the relation between baseline plasma vitamin C concentrations and future stroke risk in British participants in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer (EPIC)–Norfolk," study, a population-based prospective study. "Measuring plasma vitamin C levels may identify those who will most benefit from established risk factor management such as blood pressure control."
The reason for this finding is possibly due to the antioxidant effect of Vitamin C, something not reproducible with Vitamin C supplements. It's not time to change current treatments, but the message to the public and to patients should be clear: eat your fruits and vegetables. You should consume 5-9 servings per day. That sentence almost wrote itself because it's been repeated so many times, but the message deserves notice.
No one in this study group was asked to alter their diet. This research took place between 1993 and 1997 and included 20,649 men and women aged 40 to 79 years. Plasma levels of Vitamin C were measured at the beginning of the study. The group was followed through March 2005.
Individuals who took part in the study with the highest Vitamin C levels showed a 42%reduction in stroke risk than those with lower plasma Vitamin C levels. By adding one fruit or vegetable a day you can reduce your chance of stroke by 17%.
Since Vitamin C has a short half life, it's important to eat fruits and vegetables daily - throughout the day. Cooking reduces the Vitamin C content of vegetables so stick with raw or lightly steamed vegetables.
I wonder if pharmaceutical companies could provide vouchers for fresh fruits and vegetables? I'm all for it!
(1)http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8918275
Ref: Am J Clin Nutr. 2008;87:5-7, 64-69. ◦
Yeah, people in general don't think what fruit and vegetables can really do for you.
ReplyDeleteMy best vitamin C tip would be oranges!
Hi,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment. Yeah, oranges are great, especially this time of year. I really like pulpy orange juice too.
I do agree we need to eat fruits and veggies. What are your feelings - findings on supplementing with a Whole Food Multi? When it's whole food everything is still there. No it's not the same as eating the fruits and veggies but for people who won't eat the actual food do you think it would benefit them?
ReplyDeleteFood for thought.
Robin
Robin,
ReplyDeleteThat's a good question. I think a multi vitamin, any is still recommended, but over and over again we seem to be told that if we eat well, there should be no problems. I don't think it's just about the foods either. I really believe it's important to avoid genetcially modified foods and eat organic. I'll do some research for you, but I have never ready an actual published study about this- there are plenty of studies but they rarely get published, only referenced because of the flaws in the data and outcomes. It makes it hard for consumers. I'll look in the medical journals for some answers and post back here. That's a good idea for an article by the way.
Don't expect cooperation from the pharmaceutical companies, there is no money in fresh fruit and vegetables or for that matter, in good health.
ReplyDeleteKathleen,
ReplyDeleteThe sited link took me to a trial of clopidogrel versus aspirin rather than plasma Vit C. So I'll ask you the question. How did they monitor "plasma" C levels? Did they measure throughout the study? I found your post after reading of another study connecting high plasma Vit C to blood sugar control. In that study they found plasma C was more significant that fruit and veg consumption implying F&V consumption don't always correlate to high plasma C levels. Arch Intern Med. 2008 Jul 28;168(14):1493-9. (http://www.vrp.com/)
Thanks,
Julie,
ReplyDeleteOne of the study limitations included the fact that vitamin C levels were only measured at baseline. Generally, fruit and vegetable consumption is a pretty good indication of vitamin C levels, though some research does indeed imply otherwise.
In an editorial accompanying this article, Sebastian J. Padayatty, MRCP, PhD, and Mark Levine, MD, from the Molecular and Clinical Nutrition Section of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, Bethesda, Maryland, cautioned that fruits and vegetables, ocnsumed in variety, daily, have many benefits, including stroke prevention. They also noted that it would not be prudent to start trying to consume large amounts of vitamin C, but agreed that the study was not overstated.
Here is a link from medscape, re: the study. It was published in Jan., 2008 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrtion. Thank you for pointing out the incorrect link also.
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/568865
Julie,
ReplyDeleteThe article regarding Plavix is merely a link to my statistics regarding Plavix. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Jan., 2008 is where you can find the original study.
Hope that clarifies better.
Thanks,
Kathleen