Fruits And Vegetables: These Foods Decrease Early Mortality Risk

You might be wondering what's so special about fruits and vegetables... After all, they'll never quit carry the sugar found in our favorite candy bar or the salt and food additives found in a bag of chips. But many do carry essential nutrients, like fiber, folic acid, vitamins, including A and C and potassium. And to add to that, typically the more colorful the fruit or vegetable, the more packed to the max with nutrients it's going to be. 

New findings published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reveal that eating fruits and vegetables can help lower your risk of early mortality, by decreasing the likelihood for certain illnesses like cardiovascular disease.

For the study, researchers at the University of Copenhagen and Herleve and Gentofte Hospital collected data on 100,000 Danes, examining their intake of fruit and vegetables.

They discovered that high vitamin C concentrations in the blood were associated with a 15 percent reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and a 20 percent reduced risk of early death.

"Eating a lot of fruit and vegetables is a natural way of increasing vitamin C blood levels, which in the long term may contribute to reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease and early death. You can get vitamin C supplements, but it is a good idea to get your vitamin C by eating a healthy diet, which will at the same time help you to develop a healthier lifestyle in the long term, for the general benefit of your health," Boerge Nordestgaard, a clinical professor at the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences at University of Copenhagen, said in a news release.

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