A new study suggests eating lots of vegetables may not greatly reduce the risk of heart attacks. This goes against what doctors tell us. People usually believe it is important to eat lots of vegetables to keep the heart healthy. The study says other factors may affect our heart. These include other things we eat, the exercise we get, where we live, our income, and if we smoke and drink. The study is from universities in Oxford, Bristol and Hong Kong. Almost 400,000 people took part in it. They answered questions about their lifestyle, diet, and what raw and cooked vegetables they ate.

The scientists said people should eat lots of vegetables because they were good for our heart. The study found that the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease was 15 per cent lower for those eating the most vegetables, especially raw vegetables. However, they said many other factors also caused this 15% reduction. The lead researcher said: "Our large study did not find evidence for a protective effect of vegetable intake on the occurrence of cardiovascular disease". He said differences in income and lifestyle also affected the health of our heart.