Monday, October 17, 2011

What benefits do fruits and vegetable provide?

The benefit for lowering the risk of cardiovascular disease is clear.  Some of that is due to their potassium, which lowers blood pressure.  That's proven.

But some is also likely due to their folic acid, antioxidants, and other micronutrients.  Fruit and vegetables are a primary source of vitamins and many minerals.  We don't understand all of their benefits.  There may be some modest benefit for preventing some cancers, but a large benefit isn't there.

Walter Willett is chair of the Dept. of Nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health and professor of medicine at the Harvard Medical School.  He has published over 1,400 scientific articles on diet and disease. Excerpt from Nutrition Action Healthletter

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