Eat Well, Stay Healthy

According to recent research carried out in the United States, we all have another reason to eat greens.

Results from the study, which involved over 10,000 people who were followed up for 14 years, showed that the 20% of people who consumed the most fruit and vegetables were significantly less likely to have a stroke than the 20% who ate the least.

The study, which was reported late last month in the medical journal Australian Doctor, compared the effects of eating different types of fruit and vegetables. The researchers found that high intake of citrus fruits, green leafy vegetables and the so-called cruciferous vegetables - such as broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower and brussel sprouts - appeared to be the most protective.

They suggested that the components of fruit and vegetables that could be responsible for the protective effect include potassium, folate, fibre and flavinoids.

In some other studies the strongly antioxidant flavinoids known to occur in grapes, especially the skin and seeds of grapes, have been shown to have a strengthening effect on the blood vessels.

There is no doubt that diet plays an extremely important role in keeping us healthy. And many of us take vitamin and mineral supplements "just in case". In a country like America, where we have plenty of fresh air and plenty of fresh food, you would think it unlikely there would be problems associated with poor diet – but there are.

Iron deficiency is one of our greatest concerns. Iron in small amounts is necessary for life. It is incorporated into the red blood cells and vitally involved in carrying oxygen from the lungs around the body to be released in the muscles and other tissues.

The result of iron deficiency is called anaemia. Symptoms include constant tiredness, rapid onset of fatigue, breathlessness, irritability, sore tongue, cracks at the corner of the mouth and so on.

These problems can sometimes be overcome by simple attention to the diet. Good sources of iron are yeast products, wheatgerm, egg yolk, certain beans and fruit and especially red meat. Vitamin C plays an important role too, by improving the way iron is absorbed from various foods.

Most iron deficiency occurs in women, the elderly and infants. Overall, the incidence of iron deficiency in the community has been estimated to be about 5%. However, recent studies indicate 75% of women between the ages of 25 and 55 have iron intakes less than the recommended daily requirement.

Osteoporosis can also be considered a disease of malnutrition, according to Dr Peter Lipski, nutrition expert and specialist in geriatric medicine at Gosford Hospital in NSW. Women over 65 need to consume about 1500mg of calcium per day to maintain calcium balance, says Dr Lipski, and simple measures such as giving malnourished, fractured-hip patients a high protein energy drink as a food supplement can reduce serious complications by over 40%.

Ask your pharmacist for the most appropriate nutritional supplements for your needs, and for the recently updated range of Pharmacy Self Care fact cards on nutrition –Fibre, Fat & Cholesterol, Vitamins and Weight Control.