An article in the January, 2006 issue of the journal Lancet concludes that consumption of five or more servings of fruits and vegetables daily is likely to cause a major reduction in the incidence of stroke.

Individuals who consumed three to five servings of fruits and vegetables per day were found to have an 11% reduction in the risk of stroke. However, individuals who consumed more than five servings per day had an impressive 26% reduction in the risk of stroke, say researchers at St. George's University of London and Deakin University, Australia.

The authors (FJ He, CA Nowson and GA MacGregor) searched several electronic medical databases from 1966-2005 for studies that: 1) used a prospective design, 2) reported relative risks and 95% confidence intervals, and 3) that actually quantified the amount of fruit and vegetable intake. Eight studies met criteria and thus data were meta-analyzed for 257,551 individuals. The median duration of follow-up in these eight studies was 13 years.

The researchers note that stroke is the third leading cause of death and the most common cause of disability in developed countries. They speculate that the blood pressure-lowering effect of potassium in fruits and vegetables plays a major role in stroke reduction. Potassium may also reduce stroke by making blood clot formation in arteries less likely and by inhibiting free radical formation.