from American College of Cardiology
The notion that our arteries gradually become clogged over a lifetime has been confirmed in a study of several thousand people. Further, the study also confirmed that eating fruits and vegetables as young adults resulted in much less buildup of plaque in arteries twenty years later. The study came from the Minneapolis Heart Institute and the American College of Cardiology. Even considering other lifestyle behaviors, including current diets of those in the study, researchers say it demonstrates the benefit of eating lots of fruits and vegetables while young for women, the same benefit was not as apparent for men. Lead investigator Dr. Michael Miedema said there is no clear biological reason for the gender difference, but other studies have suggested men may be less protected from plaque buildup.