We know we are advised to eat '5-a-day' portions of fruit and vegetables, but an artcile written by Tim Locke in WebMD Health News, dated 19th January 2011 tells of new European research that finds '8-a-day' may be needed to cut the risk of dying from heart disease.

Research into the diet and lifestyles of over 300,000 people across eight countries in Europe found that people who ate at least eight portions of fruit and vegetables a day had a 22% lower risk of dying from heart disease than those who ate three portions a day. Each regular additional portion of fruit and vegetables was linked to a 4% lower risk of death.

One portion is counted as 80 grams, which is a small banana, a medium apple or a small carrot.

The UK is low in the fruit and veg league table. Spain, Greece and Italy are the leaders. Italian men enjoy 7.5 portions day, Spanish women 6.7 portions. However, healthy eating tails off the further north you go.

UK men managed 4.1 portions a day, women 4.8.  We weren’t the worst though, that honour went to Swedish men and women on 3.5 and 2.9 portions a day.  Factors like cost and availability of fruit and vegetables are likely to account for the differences.

Data came from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) - Heart study.

Every portion counts

Healthy eating also needs to be included alongside other recommendations, such as not smoking, not having high blood pressure or high blood lipids [cholesterol] and being in a healthy weight range.

Results from the recent (2008/09) UK National Diet and Nutrition survey showed that only 37% of men and 35% of women were actually consuming more than five servings of fruit and vegetables a day. So getting people to eat more than eight servings a day will be a huge undertaking. It may be a more manageable to recommend that everyone increases their intake by one portion per day.

5-a-day ‘minimum’

Eating fruit and vegetables is healthy for your heart. Remember to make five portions your minimum as the more fruit and vegetables you eat the lower your risk of dying from heart disease becomes.