Study suggests eating 5 fruits and vegetables daily may not provide enough heart-protective compounds
A new study published in the journal Food & Function found that fewer than 25% of people who met standard fruit and vegetable dietary guidelines consumed enough flavanols — plant compounds linked to cardiovascular benefits — to reach the 500mg daily threshold associated with a 27% reduction in cardiovascular disease mortality. The research, involving more than 30,000 adults in the U.S. and U.K. and conducted by scientists from the University of Reading, Harvard Medical School, UC Davis, and Mars, Inc., found that the specific types of fruits and vegetables consumed matter more than total quantity. The findings suggest that current dietary guidelines may need to be refined to specify flavanol-rich foods such as blueberries, blackberries, plums, broad beans, and green tea.
Researchers analyzing dietary and biomarker data from over 30,000 U.S. and U.K. adults found that following the widely recommended 'five-a-day' fruit and vegetable guideline is generally insufficient to achieve flavanol intake levels associated with cardiovascular benefits. Flavanols are antioxidant plant compounds shown to improve blood flow, reduce inflammation, and lower the risk of heart disease death. The study's benchmark of 500mg of flavanols per day is drawn from the COSMOS trial — described as the largest randomized controlled study on polyphenols to date — which linked that intake level to a 27% reduction in cardiovascular disease mortality. Despite this, fewer than one in four people who met standard dietary guidelines reached that flavanol threshold. The researchers concluded that specific dietary reference values for flavanols may be necessary, and recommended prioritizing high-flavanol foods including plums, cranberries, blackberries, green tea, broad beans, cherries, apples with skin, strawberries, blueberries, and pinto beans. Lead author Javier Ottaviani emphasized that specific food choices matter far more than total fruit and vegetable volume. The study measured estimated flavanol consumption rather than directly tracking cardiovascular outcomes, which the authors acknowledged as a limitation.
What's missing
The study relied on estimated dietary intake rather than direct measurement of cardiovascular outcomes, limiting causal inference. The generalizability of the COSMOS trial's 500mg benchmark to general populations with varying diets and health profiles is also not addressed.
How coverage differed
Fox News framed the story around the inadequacy of current guidelines and emphasized actionable food swaps, while the New York Post's headline posed the finding as a problem requiring a solution — both outlets presented nearly identical content with no meaningful editorial divergence in substance.
What different sources said
- New York PostRight
If eating 5 fruits and veggies a day isn’t enough to keep a healthy heart, what’s the solution?
- Fox NewsRight
Eating 5 fruits and vegetables a day may not be enough for heart health, study finds
- The TimesCenter
Green tea, broad beans, berries — are you eating the best five-a-day?
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