Eating 2 fruits and 3 vegetables a day guarantees a longer life, says Harvard study

Harvard University Scientists Think They’ve Found The Perfect Diet For Longer, Healthier Lives: eat three servings of vegetables and two servings of fruit a day.

Any health professional, doctor or nutritionist encourages the consumption of fruits and vegetables, because they are crucial source of nutrients needed in everyday lifeBut you can find very different advice on how much to eat, depending on many factors.

Now a team of Harvard researchers claim to have found the perfect combination, the key to promoting longevity.

Although they warn that Rarely does an American consume the recommended two servings of fruit and three servings of vegetables per day: only one in 10 people in the US adheres to the ideal balance offered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Each year, 45 million Americans diet and spend a total of $ 33 billion on weight loss products such as supplements or meal plans. Everyone makes the decision to change their eating habits, but when deciding what and how to eat instead, a new dieter faces an overwhelming barrage of options. Keto? Intermittent fasting? Mediterranean? Atkins? Vegetarian? and / or vegan?

The Harvard study, released Monday, suggests the simpler plan may be the best, at least if the goal is to live longer and healthier.

To conduct the study, scientists followed more than 100,000 adult women and men from 1984 to 2014 using food frequency questionnaires every two to four years. In addition, Researchers have combined data on the fruit and vegetable intakes of nearly 2 million adults worldwide.

The American Heart Association currently recommends four servings of fruit per day and five servings of vegetables per day.While the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Pyramid recommends two to four servings of fruit and three to five servings of vegetables per day.

Lead author of the research, Dr. Dong Wang |, epidemiologist and nutritionist at Harvard, and his team analyzed two massive databases and 26 studies covering information about adults around the world, looking for patterns that link diet and longevity.

This is how they found that people who follow the American Heart Association’s recommendation of “five servings per day”, that is, between fruits and vegetables, in fact. live longer than others who do not include these foods in their diet.

Compared to people who ate two servings of fruits and / or vegetables in total per day, those who ate five in total were 13% less likely to die from any cause.

The link was especially strong for heart and lung disease. People who ate five daily servings of fruits and vegetables were 12% less likely to die from heart disease and 35% less likely to die from respiratory disease, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Cancer deaths were also 10% less common in people who ate five components of fruits and vegetables per day..

The data also showed that the greatest benefit was related to consuming a specific combination of the two food groups: two servings of fruit and one of vegetables.

This is because the risk of death decreased dramatically as people reported eating each food group (fruits and vegetables) to some extent.

Beyond two servings of fruit and three servings of vegetables per day, no other benefit in terms of longevity has been demonstrated in greater proportions. It’s okay to eat more than either group (unless you eat more heavily), but the study, published in the journal Circulation of the American Heart Association, suggests that you will not add more years to your life.

“While groups like the American Heart Association recommend four to five daily servings of fruits and vegetables, Consumers are likely to receive inconsistent messages about what defines optimal daily intake, such as the recommended amount and what foods to include and what to avoid.“, Wang said.

Not all foods are the same

Scientists have found no link between higher intakes of certain starchy vegetables, such as peas and corn, and lower risk of death. Likewise, consuming potatoes and consuming natural juices do not appear to improve longevity.

Including, the study authors explained that they had previously linked consumption of the two ingredients to increased risks of type 2 diabetes. The production of juice or canned or corn can deplete nutrients and reduce your natural antioxidant activities. Antioxidants are found in high-fiber fruits, as well as cruciferous vegetables like broccoli.

These components help protect our cells from damage caused by free radicals, unstable molecules that are the waste products of various biological processes. Free radicals are dislodged from cells and rebound, wreaking havoc for the body to repair.

Likewise, accelerate aging and the human body is not very effective at eliminating them on its own which is why antioxidant foods are so useful.

Oxidation also contributes to inflammation, increasing the risk and worsening of all kinds of chronic diseases, such as heart disease and diabetes.

The study did not examine exactly why each of the foods helps improve longevity or how many years they could add to your life. But inflammation and chronic disease are the main risk factors for premature death, and decades of previous research shows that healthy eating helps fight them. Unfortunately, most people don’t get the most out of their food. The challenge is great for Americans: on average, Americans eat only one serving of fruit and 1.5 servings of vegetables per day., about half of what the Harvard study recommends.

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