Sydney, April 4, A study has found eating cruciferous vegetables like cabbage and cauliflower three or more times per day can prevent hardening of neck arteries and also decrease the risk of heart diseases.

Researchers observed a 0.05 millimeter lower carotid artery wall thickness between high and low intakes of total vegetables.

"That is likely significant, because a 0.1 millimetre decrease in carotid wall thickness is associated with a 10 per cent to 18 percent decrease in risk of stroke and heart attack," said lead author Lauren Blekkenhorst, from the University of Western Australia.

In addition, each 10 grams per day higher in cruciferous vegetable intake was associated with 0.8 per cent lower average carotid artery wall thickness.  

"After adjusting for lifestyle, cardiovascular disease risk factors (including medication use) as well as other vegetable types and dietary factors, our results continued to show a protective association between cruciferous vegetables and carotid artery wall thickness."

For the study, detailed in the Journal of the American Heart Association, the team distributed food frequency questionnaires to 954 Australian women aged 70 and older.

The women noted their vegetable intake in a range from "never eating vegetables" to "three or more times per day".

Vegetable types included cruciferous, allium (for example, onions, garlic, leeks and shallots), yellow/orange/red, leafy green and legumes.

Sonograms were used to measure carotid artery wall thickness and entire carotid trees were examined to determine carotid plaque severity.

However, due to the observational nature of this study a causal relationship cannot be established.

"Still, dietary guidelines should highlight the importance of increasing consumption of cruciferous vegetables for protection from vascular disease," Blekkenhorst said.

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Guwahati: AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal has said he will move the Supreme Court against the Assam government's decision to close the state-run madrassas.

The sitting Dhubri MP expressed hope that the apex court will order reopening of all closed madrasas in Assam.

"UP government announced the closure of madrasas and later, the Supreme Court condemned them. With this reference, we will go to the Supreme Court and will get the order from there," Ajmal told reporters on the sidelines of an election campaign meeting on Tuesday.

In December last year, 1,281 Upper Primary Middle English (ME) Madrassas were converted into general ME schools across Assam.

Earlier in April 2021, all the 610 state-run madrassas under the Madrassa Board were converted into upper primary, high and higher secondary schools with no change of status, pay, allowances and service conditions of teaching and non-teaching staff.

In December 2020, The Assam Madrassa Education (Provincialisation) Act, 1995 and The Assam Madrassa Education (Provincialisation of Services of Employees and Re-Organisation of Madrassa Educational Institutions) Act, 2018 were repealed.

This move of the first BJP-led Assam government paved the way for all state-funded madrassas to shut down and transform them into general schools.