Eating more veggies doesn’t help those at risk for heart attacks. It is probably one of the most ubiquitous nutrition recommendations in existence – eat more vegetables. Only recently have researchers from Ireland actually put this to the test in overweight-obese men and women. All 89 of the participants were habitual low-veggie consumers with no outstanding medical history other than a blood lipid panel that put them at a high risk for heart disease. Over a 4-week run-in period, all participants consumed <2 servings of vegetables per day (1 serving = 80g), after which they were randomly allocated to consume 2, 4, or 7 portions per day for the following 12 weeks. There were literally no changes in any outcome, including body composition, blood lipids, blood pressure, or C-reactive protein. Reducing saturated fat consumption may reduce the risk of having a heart attack, but it won’t protect you from dying from...
