HHS HealthBeat (March 21, 2006)

Five a day – or more

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

Mom’s advice to eat your vegetables may have more benefits than she realized.

A study in Archives of Internal Medicine and supported by the National Institutes of Health links a diet rich in vegetable protein to reductions in blood pressure.

Researcher Paul Elliott of Imperial College London says his findings are consistent with current dietary recommendations. He says they can lead to lower levels of heart disease and stroke.

His advice: Eat more vegetables!

"It does seem sensible to move toward a better balance in the diet, where vegetable products form a greater proportion of the diet and consistent with the message of five to nine sources of vegetables and fruits per day." (12 seconds)

One example of high-protein vegetables: beans.

The researchers found no link between animal protein and blood pressure.

Learn more at www.hhs.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I'm Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: August, 15 2006