Does an apple a day keeps the doctor away? As it turns out, eating just one apple isn’t nearly enough. A new study suggests people who eat up to seven servings of fruit and vegetables a day can cut their risk of death by 42 percent and that vegetables may be more important than fruit to your overall health.
The study published in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, is the first to link fruit and vegetable consumption with all-cause, cancer and heart disease deaths. It is also the first to quantify the health benefits per serving, and the first to identify the types of fruit and vegetable that are most beneficial.
The clear finding was that eating more fresh fruit and vegetables, including salads, was linked to living a longer life. Eating at least seven servings was best, but each serving increase was associated with a lower risk of death.
The American Heart Association recommends for those consuming 1,600 to 2,000 calories should have four to five servings of fruits and vegetables per day. However, the average American consumes — without counting potatoes — just three servings of fruits and vegetables a day.
The research found those eating more fruits and vegetables had a 25 percent lower risk of cancer and 31 percent lower risk of heart disease or stroke. Vegetables seemed to offer significantly more protection against disease than eating fruit.
“We all try to eat more vegetables but this research pretty clearly states that even if you’re eating an overall healthy diet, we all need to aim higher,” said Dr. Philip Favia a family medicine physician employed by Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital. “So fill up on salad. Snack on raw carrots. And yes – eat that apple a day to keep the doctor away.”
Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital in Barrington, Illinois is a 169-bed acute care hospital with more than 700 physicians representing 50 medical specialties. It is part of Advocate Health Care, named one of the Top Ten hospital systems in the U.S. by Thomson-Reuters. For the second consecutive year, Good Shepherd has been named one of the nation’s 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals by Truven Health Analytics. In 2013, the hospital achieved Magnet designation for excellence in nursing services by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s (ANCC) Magnet Recognition Program, the highest award a hospital can receive for outstanding quality and excellence in nursing care. Advocate is a faith-based organization that exists to serve its communities. For more about Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital, visit AdvocateHealth.com/goodshep.
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About the Author
Erin Abbey is the public affairs and marketing manager at Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital in Barrington where she works on getting the word out about hospital news and accomplishments as well as community events and activities.
Erin recently relocated from Chicago to the northwest suburbs where she lives with her husband, two young daughters and her dog Kallie. When she’s not at work, Erin enjoys exploring new restaurants, practicing yoga and pilates, reading as much as possible and attempting to keep up with all the news on social media.
CLICK HERE to read the latest articles Erin has written for Advocate Health’s enews platform at achealthenews.com.
She is also the author of our 365 Barrington Health Beat series focused on advice from area physicians, the latest medical news and trends toward better health in and around Barrington.
