Add More Veggies and Fruit to Your Diet, Lower Death Risk by 39 Percent
It will come as no surprise to many health minded individuals that a natural diet high in vegetables and fruits promotes health and extends lifespan. Foods saturated with synthetic chemicals, hydrogenated fats, salt and sugar stress our genetic integrity and result in metabolic chaos.
We evolved to eat a diet packed with nutrients in a natural state and live in an environment free of pollutants and man-made toxins. Researcher shows a diet high in vegetables and fruits can reduce the risk of death from all causes by up to 39%.
Alpha-Carotene Level Linked with Lower Risk of Death
Alpha-carotene is a powerful antioxidant that we take in largely from eating a diet high in vegetables and fruits. This nutrient superstar is found concentrated in the brightly colored skins and flesh of most foods in their natural form. Information published in the Archives of Internal Medicine provides the results of a study performed on a group of more than 15,000 men and women over a period of nearly 18 years. A review of circulating alpha-carotene in the blood showed a direct correlation between blood saturation of the nutrient and risk of dying.
Healthy Diet Shown to Reduce All Cause Mortality by 39%
Researchers measured alpha-carotene levels to determine risk of death and found that those individuals with the highest blood saturation had a 39% lower risk of dying from any cause compared with the lowest levels. Participants that consumed the most vegetables and fruits were found to have the highest alpha-carotene levels, while a processed food diet yielded virtually no measurable levels of the antioxidant. The study found that alpha-carotene provided a high degree of protection against cardiovascular disease and cancers of the brain, liver and skin.
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