Fruit and vegetables increase antioxidant defenses
Diets high in fruit and vegetables can increase the antioxidant capacity of the blood, according to a study done at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.
During the study, which involved 123 people and lasted for 11 weeks, the researchers examined the effects of 3 diets on oxidative processes in cells. One group ate a high fat, low fruit and vegetable diet, the second group ate a low fat, high fruit and vegetable diet and the third group ate a high fat, high fruit and vegetable diet.
When the researchers measured breath ethane production, a marker for cellular oxidative processes, they found that this was reduced in those whose diets were high in fruit and vegetables. Resistance to oxidative damage also increased in those participants.
