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By Michelle Roberts Health reporter, BBC News
People who are genetically susceptible to heart disease can lower their risk by
eating plenty of fruit and raw vegetables, a study suggests.
It says five or more daily portions should be enough to counteract culprit
versions of a gene on chromosome 9, thought to be possessed by a fifth of
people of European ancestry.
Healthy diets appeared to weaken its effect.
The US researchers investigated more than 27,000 people for their work.
The findings were published in Plos Medicine journal.
These participants came from from around the globe, including Europe, China and
Latin America.
The results suggest that individuals with high risk 9p21 gene versions who
consumed a diet packed with raw vegetables, fruits and berries had a similar
risk of heart attack as those with a low-risk variant of the same gene.
Five a day
Foods that count:
Fresh fruit and vegetables
Frozen fruit and vegetables
Dried fruit, such as currants, dates, sultanas and figs
Tinned or canned fruit and vegetables
Fruit and vegetables cooked in dishes such as soups, stews or pasta dishes
A glass (150ml) of unsweetened 100% fruit or vegetable juice
Smoothies
Beans and pulses; these only count as one portion a day, no matter how many you
eat
Researcher Prof Sonia Anand, of McMaster University, said: "Our results support
the public health recommendation to consume more than five servings of fruits
or vegetables as a way to promote good health."
The scientists, who also included staff from McGill University, say they now
need to do more work to establish how diet might have this effect on genes.
Judy O'Sullivan of the British Heart Foundation said the findings should serve
as a reminder that while lifestyle and genes could increase heart risk, the way
the two interacted with each other was also very important.
"The relationship between the two is often very complicated and we don't yet
have all the answers, but the message appears to be very simple - eating lots
of fruit and vegetables is great news for our heart health."