Fruit dramatically cuts risk of an early death

With the health benefits of fruit and vegetables already widely recognised, a new study published today has discovered that eating just one extra portion a day can significantly improve life expectancy by about a fifth. The findings published in The Lancet followed a four-year study of 20,000 men and women in Norfolk and showed that eating just a little more vitamin C reduces the risk of dying from heart disease, cancer and strokes by a fifth. Deaths from strokes and heart attacks were reduced by 60-70 per cent in both men and women, and deaths from cancer were reduced only in men, by about 50 per cent. Reserachers suggest that vitamin C is effective for certain types of cancer more commonly found in men. The survey, which was unable to show such benefits from taking vitamin C supplements, follows the launch this week of the government's programme to give every child between four and six years old a free piece of fruit.