Raw and processed fruit and vegetable consumption and 10-year stroke incidence in a population-based cohort study in the Netherlands.

Frequent consumption of raw fruits and vegetables may significantly cut down an individual's risk of suffering from ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke.

The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between high dietary ingestion of processed and raw vegetables and fruits and the incidence of stroke among Dutch men and women. A team of researchers looked at the dietary data of 20,069 cardiovascular disease-free Dutch men and women between the ages of 20-65 years and also examined the total, ischemic, and hemorrhagic stroke hazard ratios of all the subjects.

Researchers observed that subjects who regularly consumed raw fruits and vegetables had less chance of developing ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke respectively. According to this study, a 30% reduction in the risk of total stroke was associated with generous consumption of raw fruits and vegetables. On the other hand, high dietary intake of processed fruits and vegetables was found to have no significant effect on total, hemorrhagic, and ischemic stroke risk in this study. The results of this study support the hypothesis that a substantial reduction in the incidence of stroke can be achieved through progressive increase in the raw fruit and vegetable consumption rates of the general population.