Eating more fruits, veggies in youth linked to healthy heart decades later

Eating more fruits and vegetables as a young adult may keep your arteries free of heart disease 20 years later, according to research in the American Heart Association journal Circulation.

Researchers found that eating more fruits and vegetables as young adults was associated 26 percent lower odds of developing calcified coronary artery plaque 20 years later. Coronary artery calcium can be measured bya CT scan to detect the presence and amount of atherosclerosis, a disease that hardens arteries and underlies many types of heart disease.

Previous studies have shown a strong association between eating more fruits and vegetables and reduction in heart disease risk among middle-age adults. However, this is the first study to examine whether eating more fruits and vegetables as young adults could produce a measurable improvement in the health of their heart and blood vessels years later.

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