Revisiting the significant nutritional benefits of a diet rich in fruits and vegetables is among the best ways to counter continuing disparagement of the most popular, affordable and accessible produce items. So here are a few examples of peer reviewed studies to remind us about the considerable positive health impacts of produce consumption.

Cancer Prevention

• Scientists assessed the risk/benefit of consuming a diet rich in conventionally grown produce and pesticide residue exposure. The findings: If half of all Americans increased their consumption of fruits and vegetables by a single serving each day, 20,000 cancer cases could be prevented annually.  According to the study authors: “The overwhelming difference between benefit and risk estimates provides confidence that consumers should not be concerned about cancer risks from consuming conventionally-grown fruits and vegetables.
• A recent study published in the International Journal of Cancer found that women who ate more than 5.5 servings of fruit and veggies a day had an 11 percent reduced risk of breast cancer compared to the women who ate 2.5 or fewer servings each day. This study was big and comprehensive.  Scientists analyzed health data and surveyed eating habits from more than 180,000 women over a 32-year period. “This research provides the most complete picture of the importance of consuming high amounts of fruit and vegetables for breast cancer prevention,” says the study’s lead author, Maryam Farvid, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health.

Longevity

• Another study from Harvard examined how certain fruits and vegetables impact lifespan. In the analysis of data representing two million people around the world, researchers determined that two servings of fruit and three servings of vegetables were “associated with the great longevity.” The researchers said the greatest benefits were seen in those individuals who ate leafy greens, such as spinach, lettuce, and kale, as well as fruits and vegetables rich in beta carotene and vitamin C, such as citrus fruits, berries, and carrots. “Our analysis in the two cohorts of U.S. men and women yielded results similar to those from 26 cohorts around the world, which supports the biological plausibility of our findings and suggests these findings can be applied to broader populations,” said lead study author Dong D. Wang, M.D., Sc.D., an epidemiologist, nutritionist and a member of the medical faculty at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.
• A peer reviewed study conducted by the University College of London showed that people who ate seven or more servings of fruits and vegetables per day reduced their risk of premature death by 42%. Consuming that many servings of produce each day reduced the risk of death from cancer by 25% and heart disease by 31%.  “We all know that eating fruit and vegetables is healthy, but the size of the effect is staggering,” says Dr. Oyinlola Oyebode of UCL’s Department of Epidemiology & Public Health, lead author of the study.

 Heart Disease and Health Care Cost Savings

• Studies from Tufts University, Friedman School of Nutrition, show significant health benefits from eating more fruits and vegetables. According to the researchers from Tufts, these new findings support the concept of “food is medicine” and the need to increase availability and consumption of these “protective” foods to improve public health.  Among the key findings, “prescriptions” for fruits and veggies would prevent 1.93 million cardiovascular events (such as heart attacks) and 350,000 deaths, as well as cut healthcare costs by $40 billion.

Healthy and Safe

These studies underscore decades of research, largely conducted using conventionally grown produce, illustrating the nutritional benefits of a produce-rich diet.  This is why fruits and vegetables are the only food group health experts agree we should all eat more of every day.  Further, decades of toxicology studies and government sampling data consistently show the safety of these nutrient-dense foods.

With only 1 in 10 of us eating enough each day, why would any group who cares about consumers and public health choose to inaccurately disparage these foods instead of encouraging more consumption?