Beans for Blokes, Broccoli for Women: Which Veggies Protect Young Hearts?  

The vegetables you put on your plate in your 20s could shape your health for the rest of your life - and a new study from Edith Cowan University (ECU) suggests men and women may benefit from different vegies.

Research investigating data from the Western Australian-based Raine Study has found that young men and women may respond differently to specific vegetables, with certain types potentially offering greater protection against future heart disease and type 2 diabetes, depending on your sex.

“It’s not just about piling on greens,” lead researcher Neal McNamara said.

“We saw very clear sex-based differences. Beans for blokes and broccoli for women stood out as the real winners.”

The study found:

• Young men who ate more legumes - such as beans, lentils and peas - were significantly less likely to show early warning signs of heart disease

• Young women who ate more cruciferous vegetables - including broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage – were significantly less likely to show early warning signs of diabetes and heart disease

“Our findings suggest that men and women may process some nutrients and plant compounds from vegetables differently,” Associate Professor Therese O’Sullivan from ECU’s Nutrition and Health Innovation Research Institute said.

“For example, natural compounds found in legumes may affect testosterone more strongly, while compounds found in cruciferous vegetables may have a greater effect on female hormones like oestrogen and progesterone.”

Adding just one serve a day of the right veggies was linked to a much lower health risk - even in people in their early 20’s.

Researchers looked at early indicators of chronic disease including waist circumference, blood pressure, cholesterol, triglycerides and blood sugar - warning signs that often go unnoticed in young adults.

“These risk factors are appearing earlier than most people would expect,” Associate Professor O’Sullivan said.

Nearly one in five participants already showed multiple risk factors, despite being young adults.

And with cost-of-living pressures biting, researchers say the good news is that the most beneficial vegetables are affordable and already part of many Australian diets.

“These veggies can easily be thrown into a pasta, stir-fry, salad or a Sunday roast,” ECU Senior Research Fellow Dr Lauren Blekkenhorst said.

If you’re in your 20s, experts say now is the time to build habits that protect your future health.

“What you eat now matters - and choosing to eat these veggies every day could make a real difference on how long - and how well - you live your life,” Dr Blekkenhorst said.