Increasing Fruit and Vegetable Intake Has No Dose-Response Effect on Conventional Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Overweight Adults at High Risk of Developing Cardiovascular Disease1,2

Background: Improving diet and lifestyle is important for prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Observational evidence suggests that increasing fruit and vegetable (FV) consumption may lower CVD risk, largely through modulation of established risk factors, but intervention data are required to fully elucidate the mechanisms by which FVs exert benefits on vascular health. Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the dose-response effect of FV intake on cardiovascular risk factors in adults at high CVD risk. Methods: This was a randomized controlled parallel group study involving overweight adults (BMI: >27 and ≤35 kg/m2) with a habitually low FV intake (≤160 g/d) and a high total risk of developing CVD (estimated ≥20% over 10 y). After a 4-wk run-in period where FV intake was limited to