Five Fruits and Veggies a Day Keep the Doctor Away
Fruit and Vegetable Intake and Mortality
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Fruit juice and potatoes offer no mortality benefit despite being classified as fruits/vegetables in many dietary guidelines.
Public health campaigns have long grouped fruit juice with whole fruit, and potatoes with vegetables — this study directly contradicts that assumption.
Practical Takeaways
Aim for 2 fruits + 3 vegetables daily — e.g., an apple and banana, plus spinach salad, broccoli, and carrots.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Fruit juice and potatoes offer no mortality benefit despite being classified as fruits/vegetables in many dietary guidelines.
Public health campaigns have long grouped fruit juice with whole fruit, and potatoes with vegetables — this study directly contradicts that assumption.
Practical Takeaways
Aim for 2 fruits + 3 vegetables daily — e.g., an apple and banana, plus spinach salad, broccoli, and carrots.
Publication
Journal
Circulation
Year
2021
Authors
Dong D. Wang, Yanping Li, S. Bhupathiraju, B. Rosner, Qi Sun, E. Giovannucci, E. Rimm, J. Manson, W. Willett, M. Stampfer, F. Hu
Related Content
Claims (10)
Consumption of modern, selectively bred fruits and vegetables is associated with improved health outcomes in human populations.
People who eat five servings of fruits and veggies a day are much less likely to die from lung diseases like COPD than those who eat only two servings.
Whether you’re young or old, smoke or don’t, are overweight or not — eating five servings of fruits and veggies a day still helps lower your risk of dying early.
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.
When scientists combined data from 26 big studies with over a million people, they found the same thing: eating five servings of fruits and veggies a day helps people live longer.