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Nutrition and Disease

A Diet Rich in Green and Yellow Vegetables Inhibits Atherosclerosis in Mice¹

Michael R. Adams^*,2, Deborah L. Golden^*, Haiying Chen^*, Thomas C. Register^* and Eric T. Gugger

^* Department of Pathology/Comparative Medicine, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, 27157 and Bell Institute of Health and Nutrition, General Mills Company, Minneapolis, MN, 55440

² To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: madams{at}wfubmc.edu.

Although dietary patterns characterized by a high intake of fruits and vegetables are associated with reduced risk of coronary heart disease, the mechanisms involved are uncertain. We determined the effects of a diet rich in green and yellow vegetables on the development of atherosclerosis, the underlying cause of coronary heart disease, in a mouse model of atherosclerosis, the LDL receptor –/–, apolipoprotein B transgenic mouse. The mice were randomized into 2 diet groups: 1) a vegetable-free control diet (n = 53) and 2) the same diet with 30% (w:w) replaced by an equal-parts mixture of freeze-dried peas, green beans, broccoli, corn, and carrots (n = 54). Mice were fed these diets for 16 wk. Aortic atherosclerosis, as estimated by cholesteryl ester content, was reduced 38% (P < 0.001) in mice fed the vegetable-rich diet. Plasma total cholesterol (–12%), VLDL + ILDL cholesterol (–32%), serum amyloid A (–37%), and body weight (–7%) (all P < 0.01) were also lower in these mice at the end of the treatment period. In a regression model, antiatherogenic effects of the vegetable diet remained largely unexplained by the variation in plasma lipoproteins or body weight. Although the pathway(s) involved remain uncertain, the results indicate that a diet rich in green and yellow vegetables inhibits the development of atherosclerosis and may therefore lead to a reduction in the risk of coronary heart disease.

KEY WORDS: • vegetables • atherosclerosis • inflammation • mice • lipoproteins

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