People who eat about five servings of fruits and veggies a day tend to live longer than those who eat only two, but eating more than five doesn’t make them live any longer.
Scientific Claim
A daily intake of approximately 5 servings of fruits and vegetables is associated with a 13% lower risk of total mortality compared to an intake of 2 servings per day, with no additional benefit observed at higher intakes, suggesting a nonlinear dose-response relationship in adult populations.
Original Statement
“Intake of ≈5 servings per day of fruit and vegetables, or 2 servings of fruit and 3 servings of vegetables, was associated with the lowest mortality, and above that level, higher intake was not associated with additional risk reduction. ... daily intake of 5 servings of fruit and vegetables was associated with hazard ratios (95% CI) of 0.87 (0.85–0.90) for total mortality...”
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 study design is observational, so causal language is inappropriate. The claim uses 'associated with,' which correctly reflects the correlational nature of the evidence.
Evidence from Studies
Supporting (1)
Fruit and Vegetable Intake and Mortality
Eating about 5 servings of fruits and veggies a day lowers your risk of dying early by 13% compared to eating only 2 servings, but eating more than 5 doesn’t help any more.