As we approach National Fruit and Veggies Month in September, which focuses on the importance of increasing consumption, two new studies focusing on brain and heart health continue to reinforce the importance of eating more produce each day.

From the New York Times: A new study, one of the largest such analyses to date, has found that flavonoids, the chemicals that give plant foods their bright colors, may help curb the frustrating forgetfulness and mild confusion that older people often complain about with advancing age, and that sometimes can precede a diagnosis of dementia. The study was observational so cannot prove cause and effect, though its large size and long duration add to growing evidence that what we eat can affect brain health.

According to the senior author, Dr. Deborah Blacker, a professor of epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, these long-term findings suggest that starting early in life with a flavonoid-rich diet may be important for brain health.

“The message is that these things are good for you in general, and not just for cognition. Finding ways that you enjoy incorporating these things into your life is important. Think about: How do I find fresh produce and cook it in a way that’s appetizing? — that’s part of the message here,” Dr. Blacker says.

From the Washington Post: Eating a high-quality, plant-centered diet can put young adults on the path to a healthier heart, lowering their risk of cardiovascular disease by 52 percent, according to research published in the Journal of the American Heart Association. 

It followed 4,946 adults, ages 18 to 30, for about 32 years, finding that those whose diets regularly included the most nutritionally rich plant foods and the fewest unhealthy animal products, such as high-fat meats, were least likely to develop heart disease. Even people who shifted to such a diet as they aged achieved heart-protective benefits, regardless of the quality of their original diet. 

The Harvard study authors also reiterated the importance of increasing accessibility of produce. “If we can make a world in which everyone has access to fresh fruits and vegetables, that should help improve many health issues and lengthen life span.”  This is an important policy takeaway as many groups still work to inaccurately disparage the safety of the more affordable and accessible forms of fruits and vegetables for American consumers.

However, toxicology studies and government sampling data show an impressive safety record.  In fact, an analysis by toxicologists with the University of California Personal Chemical Exposure Program found a child could eat hundreds to thousands of servings of a fruit or vegetable in a day and still not have any effects from residues.  This illustrates how low pesticide residues are, if residues are present at all.

It should be noted that production practices used in organic and conventional farming are quite similar.  In fact, many farmers who grow the fruits and vegetables found in grocery stores and restaurants actually grow both organically and conventionally and often use the same disease and pest control strategies on their farms.

As we celebrate National Fruit and Veggies month, let’s embrace consumer choice by reassuring them about their health and safety.  Let’s encourage consumers to purchase the produce they enjoy most and is affordable for them.  Fear-based marketing has no place here, especially when the benefits of consumption are so profound.