When people who don't eat much fruit or veggies start eating about 8 servings a day for 3 months, the level of vitamin C in their blood goes up by 35%, meaning their body gets more of this important nutrient.

Eating more fruits and veggies for 3 months raises the level of folate (a B vitamin) in the blood by 15% in people who used to eat very little of them, helping their body make healthy cells.

Eating more fruits and veggies for 3 months doesn’t lower blood pressure, cholesterol, or sugar levels—or make arteries less stiff—in healthy people who were already eating poorly.

Eating more fruits and vegetables for 3 months makes the level of alpha-carotene—a plant nutrient—in the blood go up by 50% in people who didn’t eat much before.

Even though eating more fruits and veggies boosts certain nutrients, it doesn’t make the body’s overall ability to fight off cell damage from oxidation any stronger in healthy people.

People with more vitamin C in their blood — which comes from eating fruits and vegetables — are less likely to get type 2 diabetes, even after accounting for other healthy habits.