Fruits Reduce Risk for Aortic Aneurysm

Fruits Reduce Risk for Deadly Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm


A few years ago, my coworker’s uncle—a vigorous, funny man who was only in his mid-60s—suffered the rupture of a major blood vessel…and he died the same day. No one knew until it was too late that the uncle had an abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA), a ballooning in a portion of the blood vessel that carries blood from the heart through the chest and abdomen.

Like most people with AAAs, the uncle had experienced no symptoms. Typically the condition is discovered only if a person undergoes an ultrasound screening…or when the AAA ruptures, in which case the death rate is about 90%, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Ultrasound screening can detect AAAs before they rupture, providing an opportunity for patients to undergo surgical repair of the defect. However, like most people, my coworker’s uncle had never had this screening. His devastated family wondered whether there was anything else that might have helped prevent this disaster.

 

Hopeful news: A recent study suggests that eating enough of a certain type of food may provide some protection against AAAs, reducing risk by more than 20%…

BIG BLOOD VESSEL STUDY

Researchers in Sweden took advantage of national health registers and two very large studies—one for men and one for women—that started back in 1987. The 88,000 participants had no history of abdominal aortic aneurysm, and they all filled out questionnaires asking how often they consumed nearly 100 particular foods, including a variety of fruits and vegetables.

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Over the 13 years of follow-up, the researchers identified 1,086 participants who were diagnosed with AAAs. In nearly 83% of cases, the patients were men…in 20% of cases, the AAA ruptured. The researchers adjusted for other AAA risk factors—including history of smoking, waist circumference, exercise, alcohol consumption, diabetes, heart disease and more—and then analyzed the effects of various dietary habits.

The big winner? Fruit, which was associated with a surprising degree of protection. Among men, those who ate the most servings of fruit (more than two servings per day) had a 21% lower risk for AAA than those who ate the least fruit (less than 0.7 servings per day)…among women, those who ate the most fruit had a 29% lower AAA risk than those who ate the least fruit. Perhaps even more importantly, eating two or more servings of fruit daily was linked to a 43% reduction in the risk for ruptured AAA among both men and women.

 

Surprising: Although people often lump fruits and vegetables together when talking about health benefits—and many even assume that vegetables are more healthful than fruits—this study found no association between vegetable consumption and reduced aneurysm risk.

KEEPING BLOOD VESSELS FROM BURSTING

Although this study wasn’t designed to explain why fruits might offer protection against aneurysms, the researchers suggested that it may come down to oxidative stress. Inflammation is instrumental in the development of abdominal aortic aneurysms—and oxidative stress promotes inflammation.

Fruits, of course, are rich in antioxidants that help combat oxidative stress…and the particular antioxidants in fruits (such as procyanidins, which most vegetables lack) may have especially beneficial effects in the aortic wall.

Most popular: In this study, the most commonly consumed fruits were apples, pears, bananas, oranges and other citrus fruits…but other types of fruits also may be beneficial.

Should you be screened? AAAs usually do not produce any symptoms prior to rupturing, so many people who have them are not aware that they are in danger. The US Preventive Services Task Force recommends a onetime ultrasound screening for AAA for all men between the ages of 65 and 75 who have ever smoked…and Medicare covers the cost of screening for such men, as well as for men and women with a family history of AAA.

 

If you don’t fall into either of those categories but still want peace of mind, talk with your doctor about whether an AAA screening ultrasound is appropriate for you. The average out-of-pocket cost when insurance does not cover the test is about $390. If an AAA is found, surgery generally is done to repair the weakened area of the blood vessel before it has a chance to burst.

Source: Otto Stackelberg, MD, doctoral candidate, Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden. His study was published in Circulation.

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