Expert opinions
Some clinical specialists took issue with the interpretation of the findings.
Dr. Dipender Gill, BMBCh, PhD, National Institute for Health Research clinical lecturer at St George’s, University of London, told the Science Media Centre that: “Many of the considered confounders that were adjusted for may actually represent mediating mechanisms. For example, vegetable consumption may reduce cardiovascular risk by lowering blood pressure and bodyweight, and improving glycaemic control.
“By adjusting for such traits, the authors may inadvertently be negating some of the mechanisms by which vegetable consumption is exerting beneficial effects.”
Tom Sanders, DSc, PhD, professor emeritus of nutrition and dietetics at King’s College London, said: “The conclusion that cooked vegetables may not be effective in reducing risk of cardiovascular disease may not be justified, especially as the group consuming the highest levels of vegetables were more likely to be receiving medication for high blood cholesterol and high blood pressure (i.e. this group was at higher risk of CVD), compared with those consuming the lowest intake.” He added: “These findings should not be taken to indicate that eating more vegetables has no benefit to health, especially cardiovascular health.”
Naveed Sattar, FMedSci, FRCPath, FRCPGlas, professor of metabolic medicine at the University of Glasgow, agreed. “In short, this paper should in no way change advice to eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day,” he said. “Many living in the U.K. fall well short of this, sadly, and more needs to be done to encourage better intake of vegetables.
“In fact, I suspect we may have underestimated the importance of a healthy diet on health and disease in general.”
A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.