(10-07-06) A diet rich in green and yellow vegetables inhibits atherosclerosis in mice.

Adams MR, Golden DL, Chen H, Register TC, Gugger ET.

Bell Institute of Health and Nutrition, General Mills Company, Minneapolis, MN, 55440.

Although dietary patterns characterized by a high intake of fruits and vegetables are associated with reduced risk of coronary heart disease, the mechanisms involved are uncertain. We determined the effects of a diet rich in green and yellow vegetables on the development of atherosclerosis, the underlying cause of coronary heart disease, in a mouse model of atherosclerosis, the LDL receptor -/-, apolipoprotein B transgenic mouse. The mice were randomized into 2 diet groups: 1) a vegetable-free control diet (n = 53) and 2) the same diet with 30% (w:w) replaced by an equal-parts mixture of freeze-dried peas, green beans, broccoli, corn, and carrots (n = 54). Mice were fed these diets for 16 wk. Aortic atherosclerosis, as estimated by cholesteryl ester content, was reduced 38% (P < 0.001) in mice fed the vegetable-rich diet. Plasma total cholesterol (-12%), VLDL + ILDL cholesterol (-32%), serum amyloid A (-37%), and body weight (-7%) (all P < 0.01) were also lower in these mice at the end of the treatment period. In a regression model, antiatherogenic effects of the vegetable diet remained largely unexplained by the variation in plasma lipoproteins or body weight. Although the pathway(s) involved remain uncertain, the results indicate that a diet rich in green and yellow vegetables inhibits the development of atherosclerosis and may therefore lead to a reduction in the risk of coronary heart disease.

PMID: 16772454 [PubMed - in process]
J Nutr. 2006 Jul;136(7):1886-9.

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