Most older adults have heard that “eating more vegetables is good for your heart,” but very few studies have looked at this question specifically in people over 70, and even fewer have asked whether certain types of vegetables matter more than others. This study did exactly that.

Researchers followed a group of community-dwelling older women and asked a simple question: Are women who eat more cruciferous vegetables (like broccoli and cabbage) and allium vegetables (like onions and garlic) less likely to die from atherosclerotic vascular disease over the next 15 years?

Who was in the study?

The study included 1,226 Australian women aged 70 years and older at the start. None of them were living in nursing homes, and all were part of a long-running health study. The researchers collected detailed information on:

• Diet: including total vegetable intake and specific vegetable types
• Lifestyle: smoking, physical activity, alcohol use
• Health factors: blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, medications

The women were then followed for 15 years. During that time, the researchers tracked deaths from atherosclerotic vascular disease (ASVD), which includes heart attacks, strokes, and other conditions caused by plaque build-up in the arteries.

What did the researchers measure?

The team focused on:

• Total vegetable intake (servings per day; one serving was about 75 g)
• Cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts)
• Allium vegetables (onions, garlic, leeks)
• Other vegetable groups (leafy greens, legumes, yellow/orange/red vegetables)

They then used statistical models to see how these intakes related to the risk of dying from ASVD over 15 years, adjusting for age, lifestyle, and cardiovascular risk factors.

What they found

Over 15 years, there were 238 deaths from atherosclerotic vascular disease in this group of older women. When the researchers looked at diet, they found three key results:

• Total vegetables:
  Each additional daily serving of vegetables (about 75 g) was linked with about a 20% lower risk of ASVD death (hazard ratio around 0.80).
• Cruciferous vegetables:
  Higher intake of cruciferous vegetables was associated with a lower risk of ASVD death. For every extra 10 g/day (a small amount), the hazard ratio was about 0.87, meaning roughly a 13% lower risk.
• Allium vegetables:
  Higher intake of allium vegetables (onions, garlic, leeks) was also linked with lower ASVD deaths. For every extra 5 g/day, the hazard ratio was about 0.82, or roughly an 18% lower risk.

Other vegetable types (leafy greens, legumes, yellow/orange/red vegetables) did not show the same clear association with ASVD deaths after adjustment.

Comparison: Cruciferous vs allium vs other vegetables

In plain language: all vegetables help, but in this study, cruciferous and allium vegetables stood out as the most strongly linked to lower artery-related deaths in older women.

Why might these vegetables help the arteries?

Cruciferous and allium vegetables are rich in organosulfur compounds, which may:

• Support healthy blood vessel function
• Reduce oxidative stress and inflammation
• Influence how cholesterol and other fats are handled in the body

The study did not prove the exact mechanism, but the authors highlighted these compounds as a likely reason why cruciferous and allium vegetables showed stronger associations than other vegetable types.

How strong is this evidence?

This was an observational cohort study, not a randomized trial. That means it can show associations, but it cannot prove that eating more cruciferous or allium vegetables directly causes fewer ASVD deaths.

However, the study has several strengths:

• Older adult focus: All participants were women aged 70+ at baseline.
• Long follow-up: 15 years of outcome data.
• Hard outcomes: Actual ASVD deaths, not just lab numbers.
• Adjustment for confounders: The models accounted for many lifestyle and health factors.

There is always a chance that people who eat more cruciferous and allium vegetables also have other healthy habits that were not fully captured. Still, the findings are consistent with broader evidence that vegetable-rich diets support cardiovascular health.

What this means for older adults

For older women—and likely older men as well—this study supports a simple, practical message:

• Keep total vegetables up: Aim for at least a few servings per day.
• Make room for cruciferous vegetables: Broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts several times a week.
• Use allium vegetables regularly: Onions, garlic, and leeks in soups, stews, sautés, and salads.

These changes do not replace medications or other treatments, but they are realistic, food-based steps that may help support healthier arteries over time.

Study link

You can read the full paper here: Cruciferous and Allium Vegetable Intakes Are Inversely Associated With 15-Year Atherosclerotic Vascular Disease Deaths in Older Adult Women