Fruits, vegetables & health Martin White Programme Leader, Food - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Farming for the future of five-a-day 22 nd November 2017 Fruits, vegetables & health Martin White Programme Leader, Food systems and public Health

Behavioural risk factors for mortality

Dietary risk factors for mortality

Key associations of greater F&V consumption Reduced risk of: • All cause mortality • Cardiovascular diseases • Obesity • Type 2 Diabetes • Cancers (all, but especially gastrointestinal) • Dementia

Why are F&V important for health? Key nutrients and health importance: • Vitamin A - important for maintenance of normal vision, skin and the immune system • Vitamin C - important for maintaining healthy body tissues • Vitamin E – important to a healthy nervous system • Folate - important for normal and healthy blood formation • Fibre – helps to maintain a healthy gut • Potassium – helps to maintain a healthy blood pressure and is also important for the normal functioning of the nervous system • Also – B Vitamins, Vitamin K, minerals (iron, magnesium, zinc), polyphenols…

How does increasing F&V change diet? • Reduces calorie intake • Displaces other foods – mostly protein and refined carbohydrates • Increases fibre consumption • Increases micronutrient intake

Five a day = 400g, One = 80g

Proportions of food groups in current and recommended UK diets Scarborough P, et al. Eatwell Guide: modelling the dietary and cost implications of incorporating new sugar and fibre guidelines. BMJ Open 2016;6:e013182. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2016- 013182

Adults eating five a day in the UK Health Survey for England, 2013

Children eating five a day in the UK

Inequalities in dietary intake – widest for F&V

Healthier dietary patterns • Vegetarian – if vegan, can be more difficult to acquire all nutrients • Mediterranean diet – characterised by a higher intake of fruit, vegetables, legumes, cereals and fish, lower intake of meats and dairy products (+/- moderate intake of red wine)

Mediterranean diet and Alzheimer’s disease Scarmeas N, Luchsinger JA, Mayeux R, Stern Y. Mediterranean diet and Alzheimer disease mortality. Neurology. 2007 Sep 11;69(11):1084-93.

Mediterranean diet and incidence of type 2 diabetes Salas-Salvadó J, et al. Reduction in the Incidence of Type 2 Diabetes With the Mediterranean Diet. Results of the PREDIMED-Reus nutrition intervention randomized trial 2011;34(1):14-19.

Potential barriers to F&V consumption • Taste preferences • Familiarity • Perceived and actual convenience • Skills, tools and storage • Availability • Cost • Information • Marketing • Price promotions

Relation between the energy density of selected foods and energy costs ($/MJ) Drewnowski A , and Specter S Am J Clin Nutr 2004;79:6-16

Acknowledgements & Funding I am grateful to my colleagues in CEDAR, in particular Dr Jean Adams and Prof Nita Forouhi, and the Food Foundation, for help with data. I am employed by the University of Cambridge and funded via CEDAR by BHF, CRUK, ESRC, MRC, NIHR & Wellcome Trust, and via research grants from the Department of Health, The Health Foundation and NIHR. I have received no funding or funding in kind from any commercial organisation. I hold an honorary contract as a consultant in public health with Public Health England. V iews expressed are my own and not necessarily those of any of the above funders or PHE. Contact details www.cedar.iph.ac.uk martin.white@mrc-epid.cam.ac.uk Skype & twitter: martinwhite33 Tel: +44 (0)1223 769159