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Remember when your mother used to tell you to eat your vegetables because they were good for you? You might not have liked it, but increasing research shows just how right she was. The latest example: A study suggests that eating a healthy dose of vegetables each day is good for you by helping to prevent atherosclerosis, which in turn can reduce your risk of heart disease, stroke and other disorders.
In this study, researchers looked at the relationship between vegetables and atherosclerosis in a group of genetically altered mice. For 16 weeks, half of the mice were fed a diet in which 30 percent of the calories came from a mixture of broccoli, green beans, peas, corn and carrots. The rest of the mice consumed a diet free of vegetables. At the end of the study period, researchers found that, compared to the mice that didn't eat any vegetables, the buildup of atherosclerosis was 38 percent less in the group of mice that ate the vegetable diet. In addition, blood cholesterol levels were 32 percent lower, and the mice in the vegetable diet group weighed an average of 7 percent less.
 If you're at risk of developing atherosclerosis, now might be the time to consider changing your diet to include more vegetables like the ones included in this study. Doctors of chiropractic are also well-versed in nutrition and can help create a diet program that increases your consumption of vegetables, fruits and other foods that are good for you. For more information, visit www.chiroweb.com/find/tellmeabout/nutrients.html.
Reference:
Adams MR, Golden DL, Chen H, et al. A diet rich in green and yellow vegetables inhibits atherosclerosis in mice. Journal of Nutrition July 2006;136:1886-1889.
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