fruits, vegetables and mortality
Doug Skrecky (oberon@vcn.bc.ca)
Sun, 31 May 1998 04:12:18 -0700 (PDT)
Authors
Singh RB. Niaz MA. Ghosh S. Singh R. Rastogi SS.
Institution
Medical Hospital and Research Center, Moradabad, India.
Title
Effect on mortality and
reinfarction of adding fruits and vegetables to a prudent
diet in the Indian experiment of infarct survival (IEIS).
Source
Journal of the American College of Nutrition. 12(3):255-61, 1993 Jun.
Abstract
The effects of antioxidant-rich foods as adjuncts to a
prudent diet were compared for 12 weeks in a randomized, single-blind and
controlled trial in 204 (group A) and 202 (group B) patients with acute
myocardial infarction. There was a significant decrease in cardiac end points
in group A compared to group B (37 vs 58, p < 0.01) after 12 weeks. Within
intervention group A, those 108 patients with greater adherence to the
intervention program showed a greater reduction in cardiac end points (14 vs
58, p < 0.001), and a significant decrease in total
mortality (6 vs 28, p < 0.001), including cardiac
mortality (6 vs 25, p < 0.01) compared to group B.
Underlying these beneficial effects, antioxidant-rich foods
caused a significantly smaller rise in lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) cardiac
enzyme in group A than in group B (427.8 vs 561.6 IU/dL), indicating that the
protective influence of such a diet may be observed within 1 week. The subset
of group A patients showing reduction in mortality also had
a lesser rise in LDH and greater reduction in blood lipids, blood glucose and
blood pressures. Antioxidant-rich foods also caused a significant decrease in
blood lipids with a lower decrease in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol in
group A than in group B. Assay of serum level of antioxidants and long-term
follow-up may confirm our observations.
Additional information from tables 2 & 3:
Total fruit and vegetable intake (grams.day) versus total mortality:
High Adherence Low Adherence Controls
Fruit & vegetables 652 grams/day 492 182
Mortality: 5.5% 10.4% 13.8%
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Possibly helpful additional note from poster:
Typical weight of lycopene rich seedless watermelon is 5000 grams.