People who eat more fruits and veggies have a slightly lower chance of dying from heart disease, and both fruits and veggies contribute to this benefit.
Scientific Claim
Higher consumption of fruit and vegetables is associated with a 4% lower risk of cardiovascular mortality per additional serving per day, with similar reductions seen for fruit (5%) and vegetables (4%) individually.
Original Statement
“A significant inverse association was observed for cardiovascular mortality (hazard ratio for each additional serving a day of fruit and vegetables 0.96, 95% confidence interval 0.92 to 0.99)... The average reduction in the risk of cardiovascular disease mortality was 4% (hazard ratio 0.96, 95% confidence interval 0.92 to 0.99)... 5% (0.95, 0.91 to 1.00) for fruit consumption... and 4% (0.96, 0.93 to 0.99) for vegetable consumption.”
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 correctly uses 'associated with' and reports hazard ratios from observational data. The study explicitly avoids causal language and acknowledges residual confounding.
Evidence from Studies
Supporting (1)
This big study found that eating one more serving of fruits or veggies each day lowers your risk of dying from heart disease by about 4-6%, which matches what the claim says.