Five portions of fruit and veggies a day is good for you — but doubling the amount is way better to reduce heart attacks, strokes, cancer and premature death, according to a new study.
“We wanted to investigate how much fruit and vegetables you need to eat to gain the maximum protection against disease and premature death,” said Dagfinn Aune, lead author of the research at the School of Public Health at the Imperial College London.
“Our results suggest that although five portions of fruit and vegetables is good, 10 a day is even better.”
The scientists reached the conclusion after analyzing 95 studies about fruit and vegetable intake to find out how to best fend off serious diseases.
They found that consuming a hearty 800 grams a day – about 10 portions – may cut down a person’s chance of suffering a stroke by 33 percent, heart disease by 24 percent, cardiovascular disease by 28 percent and all cancers by 13 percent. Premature deaths would be reduced by 31 percent.
The risks used to calculate the data were compared to not eating any fruits and vegeteable.
In the research, published in the International Journal of Epidemiology, the team estimated that eating 10 portions a day would prevent about 7.8 million premature deaths every year.
The study included up to 2 million people, and assessed up to 43,000 cases of heart disease, 47,000 cases of stroke, 81,000 cases of cardiovascular disease, 112,000 cancer cases and 94,000 deaths.
An 80-gram portion of fruit and vegetables equals about one small banana, apple, pear or large mandarin. Three heaped tablespoons of cooked vegetables such as spinach, peas, broccoli or cauliflower count as a portion.
“Fruit and vegetables have been shown to reduce cholesterol levels, blood pressure, and to boost the health of our blood vessels and immune system,” Aune said.
“This may be due to the complex network of nutrients they hold. For instance, they contain many antioxidants, which may reduce DNA damage, and lead to a reduction in cancer risk,” Aune said. “It is clear from this work that a high intake of fruit and vegetables holds tremendous health benefits, and we should try to increase their intake in our diet.”
But a leading nutritionist warned about the downside of telling people to eat more portions.
“The five-a-day target is the foundation of a healthy balanced diet and is an achievable way to help prevent a number of diseases,” Dr. Alison Tedstone, chief nutritionist at Public Health England, told The Telegraph.
“Whilst consuming more than five portions of fruit and vegetables a day may be desirable, two thirds of adults currently don’t consume the recommended minimum of five a day,” she said. “Adding pressure to consume more fruit and vegetables creates an unrealistic expectation.”