Harvard researchers analyzed 16 cohort studies that had follow-up periods ranging from approximately 5 to 26 years. Among the 833,234 participants, there were 56,423 deaths (6.8%): 11,512 (20.4%) from cardiovascular disease and 16,817 (29.8%) from cancer. While higher fruit and vegetable consumption was significantly associated with a lower risk of death from cardiovascular events (about a 4% reduction for each fruit and vegetable serving), the risk was not further reduced once people hit the 5-serving mark. But before you start loweing your great produce consumption expectations, a previous meta-analysis of 8 studies found that people who consumed more than 5 servings of fruits and veggies a day had a 26% lower risk of stroke than those who consumed less than 3 servings a day. The researchers of the current study say that their findings add to the growing amount of evidence that upping your fruit and vegetable intake helps promote health and overall longevity. You just don’t have to feel guilty when you have less than a perfect day of eating. MORE: 14 Ways To Make Veggies More Exciting
