A patient asks: My father had an aneurysm recently, and I’m starting to worry about my risk. He was overweight and seemed allergic to eating anything healthy. How important is diet in reducing risk?

The doctor answers: Many factors impact aneurysm risk — and eating more fruit in particular could help provide protection.

A silent and therefore scary problem is the development of aortic aneurysm. The aorta is the main artery that comes out of the heart. It is a big pipe that gives off branches to provide nutrient blood flow to the brain, liver, kidneys and all organs of the body. Aortic aneurysm is a general term for an enlargement (dilation) of the aorta to greater than 1.5 times its normal size.

[lz_ndn video=28869885]

Aneurysms can be saccular, like a bubble on a tire, or tubular, with a symmetrical swelling, like a sausage. Aneurysms are usually caused by a combination of high blood pressure and high LDL cholesterol, but they are also genetically determined, tending to run in families.

InfoBox_HeartBeats

Unrecognized and untreated, aneurysms enlarge progressively and silently.

Research suggests going whole hog — at least when it comes to fruit — can significantly protect you from both aneurysm and stroke risk.

A study as reported in the journal Circulation detailed the effects of diet on the development of aneurysms in a group of 44,317 Swedish men and 36,109 Swedish women, 46 to 84 years of age. Over a 13-year follow-up, the study found that more than 1,000 aneurysms developed and 222 of them ruptured. Almost all ruptured aneurysms were fatal.

Eating vegetables had no protective effect, but eating fruit had a very strong protective effect against aneurysm, especially against ruptured aneurysm.

Eating fruit — and lots of it — appears to have a similar level of protective effect when it comes to stroke. So what’s the difference?

Related: Cold Weather Heart Warning

Who do you think would win the Presidency?

By completing the poll, you agree to receive emails from LifeZette, occasional offers from our partners and that you've read and agree to our privacy policy and legal statement.

First, the similarity: Both conditions (aneurysm and stroke) result from problems with blood vessels in and around the brain. A stroke happens when brain cells start to die due to a deprivation of oxygen-rich blood. Bleeding in the brain can also result in a stroke when brain cells are damaged.

[lz_org_series]

If you know someone who’s suffered a stroke, you know just how much damage a runaway blood clot can do when it reaches the brain. If the stroke isn’t fatal (it’s the third leading cause of death among Americans), most survivors experience severe impairments to mental ability and motor-skill function.

The good news is that as with aneurysm, diet has a big impact. The even better news is that research is honing in on just how much produce you need for maximum protection.

Related: Under Pressure

Some important research featured in The Lancet looked at an analysis of eight studies monitoring 250,000 subjects over 13 years, during which nearly 5,000 strokes occurred. Those who ate three to five servings of fruits and vegetables daily had a middling reduction in risk: 11 percent.

Those who ate five or more servings cut their risk by 26 percent.

The Lancet study suggests that the stroke reduction may be due to the concentration of potassium, folate, fiber and dietary flavonoids found in fruits and vegetables.