How many fruits and vegetables a person should eat to live longer, according to Harvard

A new study carried out by a team of researchers from Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, found that the habit of eating every day two servings of fruit and three of vegetables it is associated with lower death rates.

In research published in the journal Circulation, the authors analyzed data from two studies that included information from the detailed diet of over 100,000 adults, collected every two to four years between 1984 and 2014. In addition, they combined this data with information on ingestion of fruits and vegetables, and on death in 26 studies that included nearly two million participants from 29 countries around the world.

Analysis showed that eating around, two servings of fruit and three of vegetables per day, is associated with lower risk of death and longer life. Although eating more of these foods did not provide additional health benefits for individuals.

Compared with people who ate two servings of fruits and vegetables per day, participants who ate a total of five had 13% lower risk of death overall, 12% lower risk of death from cardiovascular illnesses, 10% lower risk of death from Cancer, and a 35% lower risk of death respiratory diseases.

“This amount probably offers the greatest benefit in terms of prevention of major chronic diseases and it is a relatively achievable ingestion for the general public ”, underlined the principal author of the study, the epidemiologist and nutritionist. Dong D. Wang |.

However, the researchers noted that not all fruits and vegetables offer the same benefits. Starchy vegetables like pulses, corn and potatoes were not associated with reduced risk of death for all causes or specific chronic diseases.

In contrast, leafy vegetables like spinach, lettuce and cauliflowerand fruits and vegetables rich in beta-carotene and vitamin C such as citrus, blueberries and carrots, showed great benefits compared to other foods.

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