Protective effect of fruit confirmed

Up to now, our nutrition pyramid has looked like this: at the bottom, low-calorie drinks, especially water – at least 1.5 litres. The second stage consists of fruits and vegetables, followed by cereal products. Stage four: milk and dairy products, followed by fish and meat, and at the very top are fats and desserts.

As far as the consumption of fruit and vegetables, the »Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology« study spanning over 12 years with more than 225,000 participants aged 35 to 70 from the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Africa, which confirms the nutritional recommendations.

According to this study, three portions of fruit reduce mortality by 18 percent. It goes on to confirm that the positive effect is achieved by 375 to 500 grams of fruit and vegetables per day. Legumes were found to be particularly favourable when they were consumed once a day.

The study results concerning the fats, however, conflicted with the classic dietary pyramid. Indeed, it showed that fat consumption (saturated, poly- and mono-saturated fats) has a protective effect on total mortality, while high carbohydrate consumption, which so far is at level three of the dietary pyramid, results in increased overall mortality.