Vegetable diet ‘does not help cut heart disease’

Packing your diet full of vegetables does not protect against heart disease, a new study suggests.

The findings challenge previous research that suggests eating more vegetables is linked to a lower risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) – which can lead to stroke, heart attacks and death.

Researchers say past studies may not have taken into account lifestyle factors such as smoking, drinking alcohol and meat intake – and socioeconomic factors such as a person’s education, income and wealth.

The new results from a large-scale UK study show that a higher consumption of raw or cooked produce is unlikely to affect the risk of CVD.

But the experts stress that eating a balanced diet and maintaining a healthy weight remains important in reducing the risk of diseases.

Dr Qi Feng, of the Nuffield Department of Population Health at the University of Oxford, and the study’s lead author, said: “Our large study did not find evidence for a protective effect of vegetable intake on the occurrence of CVD.

“Instead, our analyses show that the seemingly protective effect of vegetable intake against CVD risk is very likely to be accounted for by bias from residual confounding factors, related to differences in socioeconomic situation and lifestyle.”

Vegetables alone don’t help, says study.