If you’re in your 20s, the vegetables you eat now could shape your health for decades to come.
That’s according to new research from Edith Cowan University, which also suggests men and women may benefit from different types of veggies.
ECU associate professor Therese O’Sullivan said there were physical differences in terms of muscle mass and fat distribution – as well as hormonal differences.
The world-first study found men in their 20s who ate more legumes showed significantly lower warning signs linked to heart disease.
Meanwhile, women who ate more cruciferous vegetables showed lower cardio-metabolic risk.
So what counts?
Legumes – such as beans, lentils, chickpeas and peas – are packed with protein and fibre.
Cruciferous vegetables – broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and Brussels sprouts – contained compounds linked to better blood sugar control.
The findings come from WA’s long-running Raine Study, which tracks markers like blood pressure, cholesterol and waist circumference.
O’Sullivan said only one serve a day of the right veggies was needed to see the benefits.
“These are very small changes that we can make that could potentially have a big impact on our long term health,” she said.
The study, “Higher legume and cruciferous vegetable intakes are associated with lower cardiometabolic risk in young adults: a cross-sectional study”, is published in Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases.
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