While the debate continues on the role of antioxidant supplements in heart health, a study published in the American Journal of Medicine found that women whose diets provided the most antioxidants had a 42% lower risk of heart failure than women whose diets provided the least.
Adding two peppers or one to two apples per day could decrease relative risk of heart failure by 16%
The 33,713 women in the study filled out diet questionnaires and were followed for just over 11 years. After estimating the antioxidant strengths of the foods they ate researchers divided the women into five groups based on their total intake of dietary antioxidants. During the study, 894 of the participants experienced heart failure.
The researchers found that dietary antioxidants and heart failure risk were linked:
“These results suggest that a healthful diet high in antioxidants may help prevent heart failure,” the study’s authors said, cautioning against generalizing this to mean that antioxidant supplements will have the same effects.
While these findings cannot be considered definitive because of the observational nature of the study, the body of research showing the health benefits of eating lots of fruits and vegetables is too big to argue against. Heart failure is just one of many health problems that is likely to be prevented by including fruits, vegetables, and other antioxidant-rich foods every day.
Does your diet provide a protective amount of antioxidants? Use the following ideas to be sure:
(Am J Med 2013;126:494–500)