Fruit and vegetable consumption and cardiovascular mortality.

A steady fall in mortality rates from cardiovascular diseases (CVD) has been reported recently in the United States. This study tests the hypothesis that fruits and vegetables had a protective effect against cardiovascular mortality among the American population from 1964-78. Special attention was focused on more specific groups of fruits and vegetables, especially those rich in vitamin C, to examine the effect of consumption of these foods on cardiovascular mortality rates. These data showed that the consumption of fruits and vegetables, particularly those rich in vitamin C (based on content and consumption), may have offered a protective effect against deaths from CVD. Increased fruit and vegetable consumption appeared to contribute significantly to the reduction of CVD mortality in the American population in recent years.