Eating fruits and vegetables lengthens life by 30%

Consumption of fruits and vegetables reduce mortality by 30%, according to a study. This research involved more than 40,000 Spanish who were followed for seven years.

EPIC is the name of a European macro-study that analyzes the relationship between cancer and diet. In this, a number of research groups from different countries work. Now the results for the Spanish have been released.

The study involved a total of 41,446 people of five regions: three from the north (Asturias, Navarra and Basque Country) and two from the south (Murcia and Andalusia). All were followed for nearly seven years to see how the consumption of fruit and vegetables influenced in their mortality. The conclusion is that those individuals who take more fruits and vegetables had a lower mortality by 30% to those who did not consume these products. The researchers attribute this mortality to the antioxidants, vitamins and lycopene-containing foods. The selection of participants was conducted between 1992 and 1996. All were healthy individuals of both sexes from various social backgrounds as blood donors, officers or employees of large companies. During the almost seven years of follow-up, 562 of them died, mostly from cancer and cardiovascular disease.