Research
Mixed
Increasing vegetable and fruit consumption reduces the risk of hypertension, coronary heart disease, and stroke, with evidence rated as convincing.
Aim to eat at least 5 portions of vegetables and fruit every day. This is one of the most effective dietary changes you can make to lower your blood pressure and reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke. Focus on variety and consistency rather than perfection.
StrongSupportsHIGH confidence
For hypertension, CHD, and stroke, there is convincing evidence that increasing the consumption of vegetables and fruit reduces the risk of disease.
Why this rating
Rated 'convincing' by the authors based on consistent results from multiple high-quality cohort and intervention studies.
Source
Critical review: vegetables and fruit in the prevention of chronic diseases
Heiner Boeing et al. · European Journal of Nutrition · 2012
DOI 10.1007/s00394-012-0380-y
narrative_reviewCited 1,759×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- There is probable evidence that increasing vegetable and fruit consumption does not directly influence the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus, independent of body weight.Good
- Increasing vegetable and fruit consumption contributes to weight stability and may prevent body weight gain, but does not directly cause significant weight loss unless it replaces high-fat or high-energy foods.Moderate
Related findings · Mixed
- Bariatric surgery (VSG and RYGB) is the most effective and sustainable treatment for obesity, producing marked and sustained weight loss that non-surgical interventions cannot match.Strong
- Severely protein-deficient diets (2–3% energy) induce lean body mass loss and metabolic imbalance, whereas adequate protein intake (0.66 g/kg/d minimum) is a prerequisite for maintaining muscle, bone, and physiological function.Strong
- For patients with Class III obesity (BMI >39.9 kg/m2), metabolic bariatric surgery (MBS) is significantly more effective than any currently approved medication, with BilioPancreatic Diversion (BPD) showing the highest estimated weight loss.Strong
This is one finding among thousands. Every one is graded and traced to its source, so you can see what the evidence actually supports. Browse the research →