A new study has revealed that intake of diets rich in green leafy vegetables may slash heart damage in a heart failure.

The US scientists have stated that consuming at least five portions of fruit and vegetables on a daily basis is a vital part of a healthy and balanced diet. It also helps reducing the risk of cancer, heart disease and several other conditions.

The news comes from lab tests in mice conducted by Nathan Bryan of the University of Texas Houston Health Sciences Centre and David Lefer of New York's Albert Einstein School of Medicine.

The researchers discovered that the chemical compounds nitrites and nitrates that are present in green leafy vegetables may cut heart damage in a heart attack.

As part of the laboratory examinations, a few mice were given drinking water laced with nitrates and nitrites for a week, whereas the other group had ordinary drinking water for the same time.

To observe how mice hearts behaved after the coronary failure, the scientists gave the mice an induced heart attack after a week’s time.

The results showed that the hearts of mice in the nitrite or nitrate groups had less damage as compared to the mice that drank plain water before the induced heart attack.

The study was published in the weekly online early version of ‘Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.’

Now the researchers are going to analyze the effects in human beings.