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A new study has found that high intake of vitamin C from fruits and vegetables may be linked to a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and early death.

The link has been made based on new data from a Danish population study following more than 100,000 people. Dr Camilla Kobylecki, from the University of Copenhagen and Herlev and Gentofte Hopsital commented:

"We can see that those with the highest intake of fruit and vegetables have a 15% lower risk of developing cardiovascular disease and a 20% lower risk of early death compared with those who very rarely eat fruit or vegetables. At the same time, we can see that the reduced risk is related to high vitamin C concentrations in the blood from the fruit and vegetables".

It has long been known that fruits and vegetables promote optimal health; this study once again highlights the benefits of getting 5+ daily and points towards vitamin C as a particularly beneficial nutrient to include plenty of in your diet.

The Danish research team are continuing to research other factors high in combination with vitamin C can improve long term health.

References:
Kobylecki C J et al. Genetically high plasma vitamin C, intake of fruit and vegetables, and risk of ischemic heart disease and all-cause mortality: a Mendelian randomization study.  The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Published online ahead of print, doi: 10.3945/ajcn.114.104497

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