Even after accounting for exercise, calorie intake, and income level, eating more fruits and veggies still shows a link to lower heart disease death rates.
Scientific Claim
The association between fruit and vegetable consumption and reduced cardiovascular mortality is not significantly affected by adjustment for physical activity, energy intake, or socioeconomic status in most studies.
Original Statement
“To examine the impact of multivariable adjustment, we conducted additional sensitivity analyses by excluding studies that did not adjust for physical activity or energy intake. We also examined studies with some form of adjustment for socioeconomic status... Overall, the sensitivity analyses did not lead to any change in the significance or direction of effect...”
Evidence Quality Assessment
Claim Status
appropriately stated
Study Design Support
Design supports claim
Appropriate Language Strength
association
Can only show association/correlation
Assessment Explanation
The claim accurately reflects sensitivity analysis results using associative language. The study did not claim causation, and the wording correctly reflects observational inference.
Evidence from Studies
Supporting (1)
Eating more fruits and veggies is linked to lower heart disease deaths, even when researchers account for how much people exercise, how many calories they eat, or their income level — meaning the benefit is real and not just because healthier people tend to do other healthy things.