A new Oxford study has reached quite a counter-intuitive conclusion regarding the effects of vegetables on our cardiovascular health. The research was conducted for over a decade, the results of which were published recently in Frontiers in Nutrition.
With a poll involving 400,000 UK adults, this study defies so much of what we’ve been taught so far regarding the link between vegetable intake and the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) over time.
More precisely, the researchers state that the results didn’t point to any benefits of eating cooked vegetables on decreasing the risk of developing CVDs. Bear in mind, though, that this conclusion refers to cooked, not raw vegetables.
But how come science hasn’t noticed the difference so far?
Researchers believe they have the answer to this one as well, and it has to do with disregarding other factors.
Namely, when factoring in lifestyle conditions like physical activity, red meat consumption, socioeconomic status, and others, the protective role of cooked vegetables against heart disease, heart attack, stroke, and other CVDs seems to fade.
In the meantime, more studies are necessary to confirm or disprove these results. The importance of conducting more research on this matter is even more obvious if we stress the fact that CVDs continue to be the number one cause of death globally.
Still, if the misconception that cooked veggies are just as good as raw ones convinced people to eat them instead of red meat or unhealthy foods, then, in a way, it’s been helpful in lowering the risk of CVDs.
