Study finds that a fruit-rich diet could cut your aneurysm risk

An abdominal aortic aneurysm is an enlarged area in the lower part of your aorta, the major blood vessel that supplies blood to your body. The aorta (which is about the thickness of a garden hose) runs from your heart through the centre of your chest and abdomen. Because the aorta is your body’s main supplier of blood, a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm can cause life-threatening bleeding, says the MayoClinic.

The exact cause of abdominal aortic aneurysms is unknown. But this doesn’t mean you can’t lower your risk of developing an abdominal aortic aneurysm.

In fact, a recent study shows you can do that just by eating more fruit.

The link between eating fruit and a lower risk of abdominal aortic aneurysm

In the study published in the journal Circulation, Swedish researchers analysed data from more than 80,000 people, aged 46 to 84. The participants were followed for 13 years. During that time, nearly 1,100 of them had abdominal aortic aneurysms, including 222 whose aneurysms ruptured, reports Health24.

According to the report, researchers found that people who ate more than two servings of fruit a day (not counting drinking fruit juice) had a 25% lower risk of the condition and a 43% lower risk of rupture than those who ate less than one serving of fruit a day.

People who ate two servings of fruit a day had a 31% lower risk of the condition and a 39% lower risk of rupture than those who didn't eat any fruit.

Lead author Dr Otto Stackelberg of the Institute of Environmental Medicine at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm believes this is because, “a high consumption of fruits may help to prevent many vascular diseases and our study suggests that a lower risk of abdominal aortic aneurysm will be among the benefits.”

Researchers add that the high levels of antioxidants in fruits are the ones that could help reduce your risk of an abdominal aortic aneurysm by reducing inflammation.

Antioxidants in fruit help protect your cells against the effects of free radicals

Although the study found reduced aneurysm risk among people who ate more fruit, it didn’t establish a cause-and-effect relationship, reports Health24.

The message is quite clear. Eat your more than two servings of fruit a day and you’ll be sure to slash your abdominal aortic aneurysm risk in half.