Poll: Is new advice to eat seven portions of fruit and veg per day too tall an order?
Getting their five-a-day is already enough of a challenge for many - but now experts suggest it might not be enough.
Eating seven portions of fruit and vegetables a day can reduce a person's risk of dying of heart disease by 31%, a new study has claimed.
Having this many portions can also reduce a person's risk of dying of heart disease by 31%, the authors said.
The researchers from University College London (UCL) examined the eating habits of 65,000 people in England between 2001 and 2013. They found that seven or more helpings a day can reduce a person's overall risk of death by 42% when compared to people who manage just one whole portion every day.
People who eat between five and seven a day have a 36% reduced risk of death, those who eat three to five portions have a 29% decreased risk and those who eat one to three helpings of fruit and veg have a 14% reduced risk of death.
The study, published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, showed that fresh vegetables had the strongest protective effect, followed by salad and then fruit.
The authors also found that canned and frozen fruit appeared to increase the risk of death, instead of decrease it. And no significant benefit of fruit juice was noted.
The authors said the findings lend support to the Australian government's advice of "two plus five" a day - encouraging people to eat two helpings of fruit and five portions of vegetables.
But is it too much to ask? We want to know what you think - vote now in our poll:
