X-Message-Number: 9822 Date: Sun, 31 May 1998 04:15:34 -0700 (PDT) From: Doug Skrecky <> Subject: fruits, vegetables and mortality Authors Singh RB. Niaz MA. Ghosh S. Singh R. Rastogi SS. Institution Medical Hospital and Research Center, Moradabad, India. Title Effect on mortality and reinfarction of adding fruits and vegetables to a prudent diet in the Indian experiment of infarct survival (IEIS). Source Journal of the American College of Nutrition. 12(3):255-61, 1993 Jun. Abstract The effects of antioxidant-rich foods as adjuncts to a prudent diet were compared for 12 weeks in a randomized, single-blind and controlled trial in 204 (group A) and 202 (group B) patients with acute myocardial infarction. There was a significant decrease in cardiac end points in group A compared to group B (37 vs 58, p < 0.01) after 12 weeks. Within intervention group A, those 108 patients with greater adherence to the intervention program showed a greater reduction in cardiac end points (14 vs 58, p < 0.001), and a significant decrease in total mortality (6 vs 28, p < 0.001), including cardiac mortality (6 vs 25, p < 0.01) compared to group B. Underlying these beneficial effects, antioxidant-rich foods caused a significantly smaller rise in lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) cardiac enzyme in group A than in group B (427.8 vs 561.6 IU/dL), indicating that the protective influence of such a diet may be observed within 1 week. The subset of group A patients showing reduction in mortality also had a lesser rise in LDH and greater reduction in blood lipids, blood glucose and blood pressures. Antioxidant-rich foods also caused a significant decrease in blood lipids with a lower decrease in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol in group A than in group B. Assay of serum level of antioxidants and long-term follow-up may confirm our observations. Additional information from tables 2 & 3: Total fruit and vegetable intake (grams.day) versus total mortality: High Adherence Low Adherence Controls Fruit & vegetables 652 grams/day 492 182 Mortality: 5.5% 10.4% 13.8% ____________________________________________________________________ Possibly helpful additional note from poster: Typical weight of lycopene rich seedless watermelon is 5000 grams. Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=9822