Mar 31, 2014 11:13 PM EDT By Jaleesa Baulkman, UniversityHerald Reporter

Eating more than seven servings of fruit and vegetables a day may significantly reduce the risk of death, according to a recent study BBC News reported.

Researchers from the University College London found that eating seven or more portions of fruit and vegetables a day can reduce the risk of death at any point in time by 42 percent compared to eating less than one portion, according to a press release.

"We all know that eating fruit and vegetables is healthy, but the size of the effect is staggering," Oyinlola Oyebode, lead author of the study and member of the University College London's Department of Epidemiology & Public Health, said in a statement. "The clear message here is that the more fruit and vegetables you eat, the less likely you are to die at any age."

For the study, researchers examined the eating habits of more than 65,000 men and women.  They found that the more fruits and vegetables they ate, the less likely they were to die at any age. They also saw that vegetables have significantly higher health benefits than fruit.

Fresh vegetables had the strongest protective effect, with each daily portion reducing overall risk of death by 16 percent. Salad contributed to a 13 percent risk reduction per portion, and each portion of fresh fruit was associated with a smaller but still significant 4 percent reduction.

"Vegetables have a larger effect than fruit, but fruit still makes a real difference," Oyebode said. "If you're happy to snack on carrots or other vegetables, then that is a great choice but if you fancy something sweeter, a banana or any fruit will also do you good."

Compared to eating less than one portion of fruit and vegetables, the risk of death by any cause is reduced by 14 percent by eating one to three portions, 29 percent for three to five portions, 36 percent for five to seven portions and 42 percent for seven or more.

The figures were adjusted for sex, age, cigarette smoking, social class, Body Mass Index, education, physical activity and alcohol intake, and exclude deaths within a year of the food survey.

"Our study shows that people following Australia's 'Go for 2 + 5' advice will reap huge health benefits," Oyebode said. "However, people shouldn't feel daunted by a big target like seven. Whatever your starting point, it is always worth eating more fruit and vegetables. In our study even those eating one to three portions had a significantly lower risk than those eating less than one."

The findings were recently published in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health.

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