Eating five servings a day of any combination of fruits and vegetables can prolong your life, suggests a new study.
An analysis of data from more than 100,000 health professionals who have been followed for up to three decades found that participants who consumed five daily servings of fruits and vegetables had a 13% lower risk of death from all causes compared to those who consumed only two servings a day, according to a report published in Circulation.
“Most Americans eat very little – one serving of fruits and one and a half servings of vegetables – a day,” said lead author of the study, Dr. Dong Wang, a member of Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Hospital in Boston. “Eating about five servings a day was associated with a lower risk of death. These five can be translated into two servings of fruit and three servings of vegetables per day. “
While eating more than that may be healthy, it will not increase your longevity much, said Wang. He also noted that not all fruits and vegetables have the same life-extending value. “Starchy vegetables, like peas and corn, and fruit juices are not so beneficial,” he explained.
To take a look at the impact of fruits and vegetables on longevity, Wang and colleagues used data from 66,719 women enrolled in the Nurses’ Health Study (NHS) and 42,016 men enrolled in the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study (HPFS)) Dietary information came from a basic questionnaire completed by participants in both studies, which was updated every two to four years.
During 30 years of follow-up, 18,793 women died in the NHS and during 28 years of follow-up 15,105 men died in the HPFS. When the researchers analyzed dietary data, taking into account factors such as age, BMI, cholesterol levels, blood pressure, smoking and alcohol consumption, they found that five daily servings of fruits and vegetables were associated with a 13% lower risk of mortality for all causes, when compared to two servings a day.
More specifically, five servings daily were associated with a 12% reduction in the risk of dying from heart disease, a 10% reduction in the risk of dying from cancer and a 35% lower risk of dying from respiratory diseases, such as obstructive lung disease. chronic (COPD).
The experts welcomed the study and offered advice on how to increase your daily intake of fruits and vegetables.
Dr. Vaani Panse Garg noted that the study has some limitations, the main one being that the participants were all health professionals and, therefore, were more likely to eat healthier and exercise more than the average American.
However, the discovery that five servings a day improves life expectancy can probably apply to everyone, said Garg, an assistant professor of medicine and cardiology at the Icahn School of Medicine and a cardiologist at Mount Sinai Morningside.
While fresh fruits and vegetables may be the best choice, not everyone has easy access to these foods or can buy them, said Garg. That’s why she always suggests canned or frozen fruits and vegetables. The advantage of frozen vegetables over canned vegetables is that they are less likely to add sodium, said Garg. With frozen and canned fruits, you want to make sure that there is no added sugar, she said.
One way to add frozen fruits to the diet is to put them in smoothies, Garg said, adding that some vegetables, like spinach, can be tossed into a smoothie without harming the flavor.
Garg often suggests that patients buy divided dishes with a section devoted to vegetables and possibly another to fruits. “It clearly shows when you are losing your vegetables,” she said.
Dr. Aryan Aiyer emphasizes the importance of developing healthy eating habits. “Once habits are formed, you tend to practice them without thinking about it too much,” he said.
First, “when shopping, make sure you don’t leave the supermarket with something that is bad for you,” said Aiyer, assistant professor of medicine at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and medical director of the UPMC Heart Lipid Clinic and Vascular Institute. “As soon as you enter the house, you will have a snack.”
Aiyer suggests buying fruits, such as melons or melons, and cutting them immediately, for a quick and easy snack. “This is much better than just putting it in the fridge and waiting for the opportunity to cut it,” he added.
For those with busy schedules, Aiyer suggests steaming vegetables. “It only takes 15 minutes to cook a bag of Brussels sprouts and after a while it becomes a habit to eat vegetables at each meal,” he said.
