多吃果蔬相当于降低患病，减少体重。

More Fruits and Vegetables Equal Lower Risk, Less Weight

多吃果蔬相当于降低患病，减少体重。

Joene Hendry

在对哪种饮食干预最有利健康的众说纷纭中，一个标准的饮食建议一直，被大家认同。那就是，多吃水果和蔬菜。

Amid numerous ongoing debates over which dietary interventions are most beneficial, one standard suggestion continues to ringtrue: Eat more fruits and vegetables.

^{美国营养学会（ADietA)发言人这样评述到，“水果和蔬菜含有大量有益营养素。”}

Fruits and vegetables "are unbelievably loaded with good-for-you nutrients,"observes American Dietetic Association (ADietA) spokesperson DawnJackson Blatner, RD, LD, of the Northwestern Memorial WellnessInstitute in Chicago.

^{多吃水果和蔬菜不仅能够预防疾病，同样对已患疾病的管理也很有益处。（编译者注：其实对于糖尿病，何尝不是如此呢？我觉得，水果和蔬菜是糖尿病患者重要的饮食部分，其实这也是常识啦。）她说，我从来没看过关于一篇关于水果与蔬菜的负面报告的研究文章。}

"Eating more fruits and vegetables can only help prevent diseases,as well as manage diseases that people already have," she says."I have never seen a research article that implicates fruitsand vegetables in any sort of negative light."

Evidence shows that fruits and vegetables, consumed in properamounts, are good for preventing stroke, heart disease, andhypertension, as well as promoting vascular function, weightloss, and other health aspects.

"I DON'T THINK PEOPLE HAVE CONNECTED TO THE FACT THAT IF THEY CONSUMEFIVE TO SIX SERVINGS OF FRUITS AND VEGETABLES PER DAY THEIRRISK OF STROKE IS GOING TO BE REDUCED."

A STRIKE AT STROKES

A recent meta-analysis published inThe Lancetsuggests an associationbetween fruit and vegetable consumption and the risk of stroke.¹"Comparedwith individuals who eat less than three servings of fruits andvegetables per day, those who eat three to five servings perday have an 11% reduction in the risk of stroke, while thosewho eat more than five servings per day have a 26% reduction,"says lead author Feng J. He, PhD, of St. George's Universityof London.

"I think most people know that fruits and vegetables are healthyfor them; I don't think they really have connected the factthat if they consume five to six servings of fruits and vegetablesper day their risk of stroke is going to be reduced by so much,"says Lyn M. Steffen, PhD, of University of Minnesota Schoolof Public Health. Steffen wrote an editorial accompanying theLancetstudy.²

The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends a daily minimumof 3–5 cups of fruits and vegetables.³The American HeartAssociation (AHA) calls for a diet "rich in" fruits and vegetables,noting that the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) andTherapeutic Lifestyle. Change (TLC) diet recommendations of fourto five fruit and vegetable servings per day are consistentwith AHA's recommended goal of 2,000 kcal/day.⁴"A dietary patternthat includes carbohydrate from fruits, vegetables, whole grains,legumes, and low-fat milk is encouraged for good health," accordingto the American Diabetes Association's 2006 nutrition recommendations.⁵

Yet the average fruit and vegetable intake in most developedcountries is approximately three servings per day, accordingto He.

INCREASED CONSUMPTION CONFERS OTHER BENEFITS

Numerous studies show that increased fruit and vegetable consumptionalso positively affects factors associated with cardiovasculardisease, diabetes, and blood pressure and helps weight loss:

• Compared with men and women eating less than one and a halfservings of fruits and vegetables daily, those eating five ormore servings lowered their risk of cardiovascular disease by 28%.⁶
  
• In healthy older men, fruit and dietary vitamin C intake had anti-inflammatoryeffects, and fruit and vegetable intake was significantly correlatedwith lowered markers of endothelial dysfunction.⁷
  
• Greaterintakes of dark yellow and green leafy vegetables for8 years reducedthe risk of type 2 diabetes among a large cohortof women witha body mass index25.⁸
  
• Overweight postmenopausal women eatinga low-fat vegan dietlost about 5.9 kg (13 lb) over 14 weeks,compared with a weightloss of about 3.6 kg (8 lb) among thoseeating a control dietbased on the National Cholesterol Education Program guidelines.⁹
  
• Individuals who consumed more fruits, vegetables, and whole-grainfoods were less likely to develop elevated blood pressure, definedas >135 mmHg systolic and 85 mmHg diastolic, over 15 years.¹⁰
  

MAKING EATING PLAN CHANGES

Eating more fruits and vegetables helps replace the consumptionof high-calorie, high-fat foods, creating a beneficial "substitution effect,"Steffen says.

Should one change to a vegan or vegetarian diet, another ADietA spokespersonTara Gidus, MS, RD, LD/N, a nutrition counselor in Orlando,Fla., strongly suggests seeking the advice of a registered dietitianto ensure adequate intake of proteins, vitamins, and minerals.

Blatner advocates what she calls a "flexitarian" diet, one with allthe beans, nuts, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains of a vegandiet, but the flexibility of also consuming small amounts ofchicken, fish, low-fat dairy products, and lean meat. To helppatients increase their fruit and vegetable consumption, Blatnersuggests that fruits and vegetables cover half the plate ateach meal and make up half their grocery bill.

Blatner and Gidus offer additional tips for increasing fruitand vegetable consumption:

• Store fruits and vegetables in plain view. Use an eye-levelshelf in the refrigerator and keep a bowl of fruit on the counter.
  
• Use convenient frozen vegetables and precut, prewashed freshproduce.
  
• Experiment with sauces, dressings, and spice blends.Add nutsand small amounts of low–trans fat margarinesor oilsto enhance the flavor of vegetables.
  
• Enjoy fruit smoothiesfor breakfast, dried or fresh fruit incereals, and orange orother fruit juice, or grab a banana whenon the run.
  
• Whenbaking, replace oil cup for cup with unsweetened applesauce,pureed prunes, or bananas.
  
• Add vegetables to casseroles andsoups.
  
• Drink tomato and other vegetable juices.
  
• Create saladswith tomatoes, red peppers, cucumbers, and otherbrightly coloredvegetables to supplement leafy greens.
  
• Eat a bowl of berriesfor dessert.
  

When people heed advice to eat more fruits and vegetables, "theytend to lose weight, feel full, have less craving, experiencebetter blood glucose control, and generally feel better," Blatnersays.

Footnotes

FYI

The Department of Agriculture provides additional tips for healthyeating and balanced nutrient consumption—as well as recommendeddaily food intakes according to age-specific daily calorie recommendationsatwww.mypyramid.gov/tips_resources/index.html.

References

1.He FJ, Nowson CA, MacGregor GA: Fruit and vegetable consumption and stroke: Metaanalysis of cohort studies.Lancet367: 320–326, 2006.[Medline]

2.Steffen LJ.: Eat your fruit and vegetables.Lancet367:278–279, 2006.[Medline]

3.Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Agriculture: Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005. Available online atwww.healthierus.gov/dietaryguidelines. Accessed July 17, 2006.

4.Lichtenstein AH, Appel LJ, Brands M, et al.: Diet and lifestyle. recommendations revision 2006: A scientific statement from the American Heart Association Nutrition Committee.Circulation114: 82–96, 2006.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

5.American Diabetes Association: Nutrition recommendations and interventions for diabetes—2006 (Position Statement).Diabetes Care29:2140–2157, 2006.[Free Full Text]

6.Hung H-C, Joshipura KJ, Jiang R, et al.: Fruit and vegetable intake and risk of major chronic disease.J Natl Cancer Inst96: 1577–1584, 2004.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

7.Wannamethee SG, Lowe GD, Rumley A, et al.: Associations of vitamin C status, fruit and vegetable intakes, and markers of inflammation and hemostasis.Am J Clin Nutr83:567–574, 2006.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

8.Liu S, Serdula M, Janket SJ, et al.: A prospective study of fruit and vegetable intake and the risk of type 2 diabetes in women.Diabetes Care27:2993–2996, 2004.[Free Full Text]

9.Barnard ND, Scialli AR, Turner-McGrievy G, et al.: The effects of a low-fat, plant-based dietary intervention on body weight, metabolism, and insulin sensitivity.Am J Med118: 991–997, 2005.[Medline]

10.Steffen, LM, Kroenke CH, Yu X, et al.: Associations of plant food, dairy product, and meat intakes with 15-y incidence of elevated blood pressure in young black and white adults: The Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) Study.Am J Clin Nutr82: 1169–1177, 2005.[Abstract/Free Full Text]