The Best Vegetables For Your Heart May Depend On Your Sex

FRIDAY, July 17, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Turns out, eating your vegetables isn't one-size-fits-all when it comes to your health.

New research suggests the veggies that best protect your heart could depend on your sex.

Researchers analyzed dietary data from more than 600 young adults in Australia and found clear differences between men and women.

Young men who ate more legumes — such as beans, lentils and peas — were significantly less likely to show early warning signs of heart disease, including high blood pressure, increased waist circumference, unhealthy cholesterol and elevated blood sugar.

Young women, meanwhile, saw the biggest benefit from cruciferous vegetables — like broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage — which were linked to fewer early warning signs of heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

Just one serving a day of the right vegetables was linked to a much lower health risk — even in people in their early 20's.

So why the split by sex?

"Our findings suggest that men and women may process some nutrients and plant compounds from vegetables differently," said Therese O’Sullivan of the Edith Cowan University Nutrition and Health Innovation Research Institute in Australia.

For example, compounds in legumes may have a stronger effect on testosterone, while compounds in cruciferous vegetables may have a greater effect on female hormones like estrogen and progesterone.

More studies are needed, but researchers say these vegetables are affordable and easy to add to everyday meals.

The study appears in the August issue of the journal Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases.

More information

The Mayo Clinic has more on vegetables and heart health.

SOURCE: HealthDay TV, July 17, 2026