Do Cooked Vegetables Help Reduce Heart Disease?

Despite recent news reports and academic journals finding no evidence that cooked vegetables reduce the risk of Cardiovascular Disease (CVD), otherwise known as heart disease, vegetables should still be consumed for overall health. 

Findings of a new analysis of 400,000 adults’ diets were published in Frontiers in Nutrition. These findings suggested that eating cooked vegetables did not reduce the risk of heart disease over time. However, critics are questioning these findings. 

Critics have questioned whether or not the study candidates consumed the correct type of vegetable and the number of vegetables consumed on a daily basis. Further to this, critics have questioned what else the study candidates were eating during the study. The critics also questioned the protective effect of vegetable intake against CVD risk related to differences in socioeconomic situation and lifestyle.

Benefits of Vegetables Affected By Lifestyle Choices 

While the study showed a lack of protective value gained from cooked vegetables, researchers also saw a decline in the nutritional value of cooked and raw vegetables when factoring in lifestyle choices, genetics, and environments.

As recent news reports suggest, “Any benefit went away when researchers factored in lifestyle factors such as physical activity, educational level, smoking, drinking, fruit intake, red and processed meat consumption, and use of mineral and vitamin supplements.”

This means that U.S. citizens should indeed eat cooked and raw vegetables, but ensure that they are making healthy lifestyle choices along with this. It’s about the whole dietary pattern and getting the desired effect from all components, from diet to lifestyle choices.

Eating Raw Vegetables Could Protect Against CVD, Strokes, and CHD

A recent study on the benefits of fruit and vegetables on men suggests, “… Men who consumed at least 2.5 servings/day of vegetables had a relative risk for Coronary heart disease (CHD), compared with men in the lowest category (<1 serving/day).“

Another study recommends vegetable and fruit intake for CHD reduction. “Our study shows that increased consumption of fruit and vegetables is related to a reduced risk of CHD. Individuals with more than five servings/day have an approximately 17% reduction in CHD risk. These results provide strong support for the recommendations to consume more than five servings/day of fruit and vegetables.”

More support for the health benefits of vegetables is seen in an article, “The protective effects of fruit and vegetables on CHD have a strong biological basis. Fruit and vegetables are rich sources of potassium, folate, fiber, antioxidants, and bioactive phytochemicals. Increasing fruit and vegetable consumption with a subsequent increase in 24 h urinary potassium excretion lowers blood pressure. Potassium supplementation trials also show a significant and similar blood pressure-lowering effect as fruit and vegetables.” 

“As raised blood pressure is a major cause of CHD, it is likely that the blood pressure-lowering effect of potassium is the major mechanism that contributes to a reduced risk of CHD with higher fruit and vegetable consumption.”

Another online study shows results consistent with a protective effect of vegetables for strokes.

Not only do the above studies show that eating vegetables reduces the risk of heart disease, but evidence shows that eating vegetables rich in fiber lowers weight and can reduce cholesterol. This also impacts the risk of heart disease. 

Vegetable Recommendations for U.S Citizens

In the US, dietary guidelines recommend that adults and children should eat at least 1.5 to two cups of fruit as well as two to three cups of vegetables each day. Translating cups into tablespoons, a healthy intake of vegetables would include up to 48 tablespoons of vegetables every day.

According to The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, U.S. citizens should make one-half of their plate fruits and vegetables. This means five servings of fruit and vegetables per day to enjoy overall health and a reduction in heart problems.

Vegetable Preparation for U.S Citizens

To gain optimal nutrition and overall health from vegetables, preparation is key as well. An online academic article states, “Processing can either increase or decrease the fiber content of a fruit or vegetable. Peeling fruits or vegetables will lower the fiber content. Home cooking generally has a negligible effect on fiber content.” 

The article continues, “Cooking, in general, may even increase the fiber content of a product if water is driven out in the cooking process. Baking or other heat treatments used in food processing will also increase the fiber availability of the product.” 

With this, it is important to practice optimal vegetable and fruit preparation and eat as raw as possible. Other recommendations include: 

• Opt for whole fruits and vegetables instead of 100% fruit juices 
• Do not discard edible peels but rather eat them
• Eat the following vegetables which are good for the heart: Broccoli, Kale, Brussels Sprouts, Swiss Chard, Blueberries, Blackberries, Raspberries, Tomatoes, Apples, Asparagus, Bell Peppers, Carrots
• Steam vegetables rather than boil them
• If boiling vegetables, cook vegetables in as little water as possible for a minimal amount of time; save the water and use for soups or stews

The Impact Of Correct Food Choices and Vegetable Alternatives On Health

Alternate food choices for those who eat low amounts of fruits and vegetables, or no vegetables and fruits at all, are important.  When considering the health effect of eating vegetables, those opting not to consume this food group need to replace their lack of vegetables with suitable alternatives. It is thus important to consider what individuals replace vegetables with.

Furthermore, U.S. citizens should deeply consider their whole diet, what food groups to increase and what food groups to decrease. In some way or another, all study data still supports the beneficial effects of a dietary pattern rich in fruits and vegetables. Overall, increasing vegetable intake is vital to the prevention of CHD CVD and the overall promotion of good health and heart health.