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Eating More Produce May Help You To Live Longer
New research indicates that if people ate more produce, a millions deaths could be avoided each year.
In the report, published in the International Journal of Epidemiology, researchers from Imperial College London conducted a meta-analysis of 95 studies looking at fruit and vegetable intake. They estimated that 7.8 million premature global deaths could be avoided yearly, if people ate 10 portions of fruits and vegetables a day.
The researchers characterize 10 portions as 800 grams of fruits and vegetables a day, which is about 1 pound and 12 ounces.
Those 10 portions of produce a day, could result in a 24% lower risk of heart disease, 33% lower risk of stroke, 28% lower risk of cardiovascular disease, 13% lower risk of cancer and a 31% lower risk of dying early. These comparisons are to a group of people not eating any fruit or vegetables.
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The fruits and vegetables that were linked to lower risk of heart problems included; apples, citrus, leafy veggies like spinach, cruciferous vegetables like broccoli and Brussels sprouts, peppers and green beans.
This is a quote from study author Dagfinn Aune, of the Imperial College London School of Public Health:
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"Fruit and vegetables have been shown to reduce cholesterol levels, blood pressure and to boost thehealth of our blood vessels and immune system. 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.”