Eating loads of fruit and vegetables – 10 portions a day – could prevent 7.8 million premature deaths each year and may give us longer lives, say researchers from Imperial College London.
The team also identified specific fruit and veg that reduced the risk of cancer and heart disease.
The conclusions were made by pooling data on 95 separate studies, involving two million people’s eating habits.
Lower risks of cancer were linked to eating:
- green veg (eg spinach)
- yellow veg (eg peppers)
- cruciferous vegetables (eg cauliflower).
Lower risks of heart disease and strokes were linked to eating:
- apples
- pears
- citrus fruits
- salads
- green leafy vegetables (eg lettuce)
- cruciferous veg
Compared with eating no fruit or veg a day, it showed:
- 200g cut the risk of cardiovascular disease by 13% while 800g cut the risk by 28%
- 200g cut the risk of cancer by 4%, while 800g cut the risk by 13%
- 200g cut the risk of a premature death by 15%, while 800g cut the risk by 31%