Pass the veggies

Eating vegetables with your meat may take the edge off the damage the fat can do, at least in the short run.

An Italian study of healthy young men and women found that adding tomatoes, carrots and peppers, which are good sources of antioxidants, to a high-fat meal lessened its negative effect on the cells lining the blood vessels.

Using methods that measure the responsiveness of those cells, called endothelial cells, researchers at the Second University of Naples tested 25 healthy men and women after they ate different types of meals.

Four hours after a high-carbohydrate meal, the blood vessels responded normally to various tests.

After the high-fat meal, blood cells called platelets had become sticky and there was no relaxation of the vessels. Both are characteristics of atherosclerosis.

But when vegetables rich in beta-carotene and vitamins C and E were added to the high-fat meal, the blood-vessel response improved about 50% compared with reactions to the high-fat meal alone.

An earlier study had shown that antioxidant supplements had a similar effect on blood vessels, and this research indicates the same beneficial effects can be achieved with food, says Karol E. Watson, co-director of UCLA’s preventive cardiology program. However, Watson cautions, no study has proved that antioxidants reduce the risk of heart attack.

“We don’t encourage supplements any more because some studies have shown they can be harmful. But we absolutely do encourage a diet rich in fruits and vegetables. There are so many beneficial effects you can get from food that you can’t get from a pill.”

The study was published in the January issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.