Only five portions of fruit and veg a day? Better make it seven

Just when you thought you could live forever on five helpings of fruit and vegetables a day, the powers that be say that seven is the latest magic number.

New research suggests you will need at least seven portions every day to keep you healthy.

Up to now, the gut feeling of the World Health Organisation was that five 80g portions of fruit and vegetables a day was all that was needed to lower the risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and obesity.

However, a new study suggests eating seven or more daily helpings of fruit and veg can reduce a person’s risk of dying of cancer by 25% and heart disease by 31%.

Most tinned fruit does not count, say researchers, as sugar content will outweigh the benefits. This contrasts with a study by Safefood, the joint Irish and British healthy eating body, which last October recommended eating tinned and frozen varieties of fruit and veg.

News of the latest food study came as Safefood yesterday launched ‘Bring Back Play’, a campaign that aims to ensure children get an hour’s activity every day.

The research has come from University College London, where food scientists examined the eating habits of 65,000 people in England between 2001 and 2013.

They found that seven or more helpings a day can reduce a person’s overall risk of death by 42% when compared to people who manage just one whole portion every day.

People who eat between five and seven a day have a 36% reduced risk of death, those who eat three to five portions have a 29% decreased risk, and those who eat one to three helpings of fruit and veg have a 14% reduced risk of death.

The study, published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, showed that fresh vegetables had the strongest protective effect, followed by salad and then fruit.

The authors claim that canned and frozen fruit appeared to increase the risk of death, instead of decrease it, and no significant benefit of fruit juice was noted.

The authors said the findings lend support to the Australian government’s advice of “two plus five” a day, encouraging people to eat two helpings of fruit and five portions of vegetables.

“We all know that eating fruit and vegetables is healthy, but the size of the effect is staggering,” said lead author Oyinlola Oyebode.

“The clear message here is that 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. Whatever your starting point, 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.

“Most canned fruit contains high sugar levels and cheaper varieties are packed in syrup rather than fruit juice.

“The negative health impacts of the sugar may well outweigh any benefits. Another possibility is that there are confounding factors that we could not control for, such as poor access to fresh groceries among people who have pre-existing health conditions, hectic lifestyles, or who live in deprived areas.”