Trends and facts
Decades of evidence have shown that healthy eating contributes to long-term health. [1] Unfortunately, the reverse is just as true: Unhealthy eating is a risk factor for major diseases.
Tobacco still leads the list. But poor diet and physical inactivity combined are now considered the second leading root cause of death in the United States. [2] Unhealthy eating can lead to overweight, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure. All of these conditions are primary risk factors for heart disease and also contribute to other chronic diseases. [3]
Cancer protection
The best dietary protection against cancer is increased fruit and vegetable intake.
“Of all the dietary factors thought to be related to cancer, the research evidence is most consistent for the association between increased consumption of fruits and vegetables and reduced risk of a variety of cancers. The evidence is strongest for digestive (oral, larynx, esophagus, stomach, colon, rectum) and respiratory cancers.” [4]
Heart disease and stroke protection
A 14-year Harvard study that followed almost 110,000 people found that the higher the average daily intake of fruits and vegetables, the lower the chances of developing cardiovascular disease. [5]
Increasing fruit and vegetable intake by as little as one serving per day can have a real impact on heart disease risk. In two Harvard studies, for every extra serving of fruits and vegetables that participants added to their diets, their risk of heart disease dropped by four percent. [6] Eating more fruits and vegetables can also help lower cholesterol. In the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute’s Family Heart Study, the men and women who consumed more than four servings a day had significantly lower levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol. [7]
Extra health benefits
Fruits and vegetables also provide essential nutrients, fiber, and other substances that are important for good health. And incorporating vegetables and fruits into a daily diet can help with weight control as well as health. Most fruits and vegetables are naturally low in fat and calories and are filling. [8]
Endnotes
1. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The surgeon general's report on nutrition and health. Washington DC:US Dept of Health and Human Services; 1988. DHHS (PHS) publication No. 88-50210.
2. Mokdad, AH, Marks, JS et al. Actual causes of death in the United States, 2000. JAMA, 2004;291:10, 1238-1245.
3. Ibid.
4. Hyson, Dianne.The Health Benefits of Fruits and Vegetables: A Scientific Overview for Health Professionals (a review of the literature from 1999 to 2001). Produce for Better Health Foundation 2002. http://www.5aday.org/pdfs/research/health_benefits.pdf
5. Hung HC, Joshipura KJ, Jiang R, et al. Fruit and vegetable intake and risk of major chronic disease. J Natl Cancer Inst 2004; 96:1577-84.
6. Ibid.
7. Djousse L, Arnett DK, Coon H, Province MA, Moore LL, Ellison RC. Fruit and vegetable consumption and LDL cholesterol: the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Family Heart Study. Am J Clin Nutr 2004; 79:213-7.
8. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Nutrition for Everyone: Fruits and Vegetables. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/nutrition/nutrition_for_everyone/fruits_vegetables/index.htm
