A new study suggests that fish and vegetables can be beneficial to older adults by reducing their risk of death by more than 20 percent.
Researchers at Uppsala University in Sweden looked at the data of 4,232 participants aged 60 and above. They checked if there is a relationship between the consumption of fish and vegetables and the reduced risk of dying due to heart disease.
During the 15-year study period, the researchers measured the levels of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats, also known as the "healthy" fats, on the blood of the participants.
Polyunsaturated fat can be found mostly in nuts, seeds, fish, algae, leafy greens, and krill. Monounsaturated fat, on the other hand, can be found on avocados, almonds, cashews, peanuts and cooking oils made from plants or seeds such as sunflower, canola, soybean, olive, sesame and peanut oils. Both are known to reduce the risk of heart disease, according to the Heart Foundation.
The analysis showed that 11 percent of the participants died during the study period. There were also about 11 percent or 484 participants who had experienced non-fatal heart attacks.
Further analysis revealed that both older men and women who had high consumptions of fish and vegetables were able to reduce their risks of death by 27 percent and 20 percent, respectively.
The researchers saw high levels of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) that are commonly found in fish, and linoleic acid (LA) that is abundant in many nuts, fatty seeds, and vegetable oils.
"The study supports current dietary guidelines that advise having sufficient intake of both fish and vegetable oils in a heart-healthy diet," Dr. Ulf Riserus, senior study author and a nutrition researcher at Uppsala University in Sweden, said in an email to Reuters.
The researchers admitted that further study is needed because of the low number of deaths recorded during the study period. They also observed some significant difference between the risk measurement of men and women while measuring the LA levels.
The study was published in the June 17 issue of the journal Circulation.
