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Call to eat seven portions of fruit and veg a day

Call to eat seven portions of fruit and veg a day

Date: 2014-04-05
EATING seven portions of fruit and vegetables a day cuts the risk of early death by 42 per cent, according to a study that suggests aiming for "five a day" may not be enough.

Vegetables appeared to be markedly healthier than fruit, said researchers, who urged a shift towards Australian advice to eat five daily portions of vegetables plus two of fruit.

Dr Oyinlola Oyebode, from UCL's Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, said those who ate substantial amounts of fruit and veg at any age were known to cut their risk of death.

The clear message here is the more fruit and vegetables you eat, the less likely you are to die at any age.

Vegetables have a larger effect than fruit, but fruit still makes a real difference. If you're happy to snack on carrots or other vegetables, then that is a great choice but if you fancy something sweeter, a banana or any fruit will also do you good....

However, people shouldn't feel daunted by a big target like seven....it is always worth eating more fruit and vegetables. In our study even those eating one to three portions had a significantly lower risk than those eating less than one.

In a linked comment in the same journal, public health experts at the University of Liverpool write: "The UK 'five-a-day' campaign offers a target which is pragmatic, but one which might provide a false reassurance and risk complacency in the quarter of the population that already hits this target. They need to aim higher. Is it perhaps now time for the UK to update the 'five-a-day' message to 'ten a day'?"

Professor Richard Tiffin, of the University of Reading, said: "I don't think we should change the message every time new evidence emerges ... If we keep changing such messages, people could be forgiven for thinking that scientists can't make up their minds, or, worse for public health implications, that they don't know what they're talking about."