Mom always told you to eat your vegetables.

Now researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) are offering more confirmation that she was right, with the first study showing a correlation between eating fruits and vegetables and a reduced chance of stroke.

In an article released earlier this month, HSPH scientists concluded that eating five servings of fruits and vegetables is associated with a 30 percent lower risk of ischemic stroke. Ischemic stroke--the most common type of stroke--is caused by a blockage of blood vessels in the brain.

"Our study provides further support for previous recommendations that men and women consume at least five servings per day of fruits and vegetables," says the survey's prime author, Kaumudi J. Joshipura. "This will reduce their risk of stroke and improve their overall health."

But not just any fruits or vegetables will cut your chances of having a stroke.

In particular, green, leafy vegetables and citrus fruits and juices were found to have the most beneficial effects, according to Joshipura, assistant professor of oral health policy and epidemiology at HSPH.

The data did detect some reduced risk of stroke when the subject ate only three servings of fruits and vegetables a day. But, for increased consumption rates up to five servings per day, subjects' chances of avoiding a stroke improved.

The study tracked the eating habits of 75,596 women and 38,683 men enrolled in the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study and the Brigham and Women's Hospital sponsored Nurses' Health Study.