Study: Eat 7 Servings of Fruits and Veggies a Day

Eating 7 or more portions of fruit and vegetables daily can reduce the risk of death by as much as 42%, compared with those that eat less than 1 serving per day, according to a new study.

In order to better examine the benefits of daily fruit and vegetable consumption, researchers from University College London used the Health Survey for England to follow the eating habits of 65,226 participants over 35 years old between 2001 and 2008.
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Researchers estimated risk by studying the association between fruit and vegetable consumption and all-cause cancer and cardiovascular mortality, adjusting for age, sex, social class, education, BMI, alcohol consumption, and physical activity.

Fresh vegetables showed the most effective results, decreasing risk of all-cause mortality by 16% for each daily portion consumed. Salad decreased risk by 13%, and fresh fruit reduced risk by 4% for each portion. 

Overall, researchers discovered that 1-3 daily servings of fruit and vegetables reduced risk of death by any cause by 14%, 3-5 servings by 29%, 5-7 portions by 36% and 7+ portions by 42%. 

“A robust inverse association exists between fruit and vegetable consumption and mortality, with benefits seen in up to 7+ portions daily. Further investigations into the effects of different types of fruit and vegetables are warranted,” researchers concluded.

–Michael Potts

Oyebode O, Dseagu V, Walker A, Mindell JS. Fruit and vegetable consumption and all-cause, cancer and CVD mortality: analysis of Health Survey for England data. J Epidemiol Community Health doi:10.1136/jech-2013-203500