Vegetables "protect" older women from serious diseases

Older women who eat more vegetables may be less likely to develop atherosclerosis, according to an Australian study.
The researchers looked at 954 women aged 70 or older.
They used ultrasound to examine the thickness of the walls of the carotid artery in the neck and the extent of accumulation of sediments.
Less thick walls and less plaque accumulation are associated with lower risk of heart attacks and strokes.
Compared with women who ate less than two servings of vegetables per day, carotid artery walls in women who ate at least three servings of vegetables a day were 5 percent thinner or about 0.036 millimeters, the researchers found.
The researchers found that each increase of 10 grams per day in the consumption of vegetables belonging to the family Carnipie such as broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage (cabbage) linked to a decrease of 0.8 percent in the thickness of the walls of the arteries.
"It was exciting to find that eating vegetables from the carnivorous family seemed to be the most beneficial," said Lauren Bleckenhurst, who led the study team, a nutrition researcher at Western Australia University in Crawley.
"However, this does not detract from the importance of other types of vegetables," she said in an e-mail. "As you know, eating too many vegetables is important to maintain good health."
"Our study concluded that consuming 2 servings of carnivorous vegetables between the recommended amount of vegetables could help improve the health benefits of the arteries."

source

skynewsarabia