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Review
. 2019 Oct 6;11(10):2381.
doi: 10.3390/nu11102381.

Relation of Fruits and Vegetables with Major Cardiometabolic Risk Factors, Markers of Oxidation, and Inflammation

Maria Lapuente  1 , Ramon Estruch  2   3 , Mana Shahbaz  4 , Rosa Casas  5   6
Affiliations
Review

Relation of Fruits and Vegetables with Major Cardiometabolic Risk Factors, Markers of Oxidation, and Inflammation

Maria Lapuente et al. Nutrients. .

Abstract

Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are considered to be the leading cause of death worldwide. Inadequate fruit and vegetable intake have been recognized as a risk factor for almost all NCDs (type 2 diabetes mellitus, cancer, and cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases). The main aim of this review is to examine the possible protective effect that fruit and vegetable consumption or their bioactive compounds may have on the development of NCDs such as atherosclerosis. The accumulated evidence on the protective effects of adequate consumption of fruits and vegetables in some cases, or the lack of evidence in others, are summarized in the present review. The main conclusion of this review is that well-designed, large-scale, long-term studies are needed to truly understand the role fruit and vegetable consumption or their bioactive compounds have in atherosclerosis.

Keywords: bioactive compounds; chronic diseases; fruit and vegetables; immune system; inflammation; noncommunicable diseases.

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Conflict of interest statement

R.E. reports serving on the board of and receiving lecture fees from the Research Foundation on Wine and Nutrition (FIVIN); serving on the boards of the Beer and Health Foundation and the European Foundation for Alcohol Research (ERAB); receiving lecture fees from Cerveceros de España and Sanofi-Aventis; and receiving grant support through his institution from Novartis. No other potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Summary of the potential health benefits of the main bioactive compounds contained in fruits and vegetables mentioned in this study.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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