Fruit and veg lowers childrens' blood pressure

Eating fruit and vegetables may help young children achieve lower blood pressure later in life, a US study has claimed.

Pre-schoolers eating four servings a day, along with two dairy products, could have lower blood pressures in early adolescence, according to the study by the Boston University School of Medicine.

Dr Lynn Moore, author of the report, said: “The roots of high blood pressure and other diseases we acquire as adults can be found in childhood.”

Moore followed 95 children from the ages of three to early adolescence at 12-year-old. The youngsters eating the recommended amounts of fruit and vegetables had the lowest blood pressures at age 12, she said.

“Children who learn to eat a healthy diet in earlier childhood will reap the benefits for years and years to come,” she added.