Increased consumption of fruits and vegetables is associated with a reduced risk of mortality from ischemic heart disease (IHD), according to a study published online Jan. 18 in the European Heart Journal.

Francesca L. Crowe, Ph.D., from the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, and colleagues examined data from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition-Heart Study. A total of 313,074 participants without previous myocardial infarction or stroke from eight European countries were included in the analyses. The follow-up period of the participants was an average of 8.4 years, with a total of 1,636 deaths from IHD being identified.

The investigators found that participants who consumed at least eight 80 g portions of fruits and vegetables per day had a 22 percent lower risk of fatal IHD compared with those consuming fewer than three portions per day. After accounting for differences in dietary assessment between participating centers, each 80 g portion increment in fruit and vegetable intake was associated with a 4 percent reduced risk of IHD.

"The results of the current study show that higher consumption of fruits and vegetables is associated with a reduced risk of fatal IHD in this European population. Whether this association is causal and, if so, the biological mechanism(s) by which fruits and vegetables operate to lower IHD risk remains unclear," the authors write.