Seven-a-day diet of fruit and veg helps you live longer, says study
Researchers find eating more fruit and vegetable significantly lowers risk of death at any age from cancer, heart disease and stroke
Eating seven or more portions of fresh fruit and vegetables a day will reduce the risk of dying at any age from cancer, heart disease and stroke, says a new study.
Researchers at University College London found that a daily diet of at least seven portions of fresh fruit and vegetables is linked to a 42 per cent reduced risk of death from all causes. These levels of fruit and vegetables are also associated with a 25 per cent lower risk of dying from cancer and 31 per cent reduced risk of dying from heart disease or a stroke.
The study also found that vegetables have much higher health benefits than fruit – and there was no sign of significant benefit from fruit juice. Also, surprisingly, canned and frozen fruit appeared to increase the risk of death by 17 per cent per portion.
“The clear message is that the more fruit and vegetables you eat, the less likely you are to die at any age”
“We all know that eating fruit and vegetables is healthy, but the size of the effect is staggering,” says Dr Oyinlola Oyebode, of UCL’s department of epidemiology and public health, who was the lead author of the study.
“The clear message here is that the more fruit and vegetables you eat, the less likely you are to die at any age. Vegetables have a larger effect than fruit, but fruit still makes a real difference. If you’re happy to snack on carrots or other vegetables, then that is a great choice, but if you fancy something sweeter, a banana or any fruit will also do you good.”
The researchers at UCL carried out the study of the eating habits of 65,226 people in England, recorded in a Health Survey for England poll, between 2001 and last year, and checked them with their causes of death.
The study, published in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, found that fresh vegetables had the strongest protective effect, with each daily portion reducing overall risk of death by 16 per cent.
Eating salad contributed to a 13 per cent risk reduction per portion, and each portion of fresh fruit was associated with a smaller but still significant 4 per cent reduction.