HALF a cup of broccoli a day could lower the risk of falls.
New research from Edith Cowan University suggests eating cruciferous vegetables can help older people being hospitalised for a fall.
The study looked at the diets of a group of older Western Australian women above the age of 70 and tracked falls over 15 years.
It found that those who ate at least one serve of cruciferous vegetables – such as Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage or broccoli – each day had a significantly lower risk of having a fall that required hospitalisation.
Lead researcher Marc Sim was vital to investigate new ways to prevent people from falling.
“We also found that higher overall vegetable consumption was associated with better muscle strength and physical function in our participants, which we suspect is one of the ways they reduce the risk of falling,” Dr Sim said.
“What we are now interested in investigating further is why cruciferous vegetables in particular seem to be so good at preventing these falls.”
He said suffering an injurious fall can have a significant impact on an individual’s quality of life.
“On top of the physical impact, suffering a fall has been linked to a reduced participation in social and physical activities due to a fear of falling again.”
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