For many years, the nutrition message has been "five a day" – the recommendation that five portions of fruit and vegetables are enough to keep disease at bay and help us to live longer. That advice has been revised upwards. A new study suggests that people who get seven or more portions a day are healthier. Researchers from University College London studied the dietary habits of 65,000 adults over a seven-year period. They concluded that: "A robust inverse association exists between fruit and vegetable consumption and mortality, with benefits seen in up to 7-plus portions daily." In other words, if you eat more fruit and vegetables, chances are you live longer.

许多年以来，我们都认为是“每天五种”，每天摄入五种水果和蔬菜能够让我们远离疾病，并帮助我们长寿。如今，这一建议有所修改。一项新的研究表明每天摄入7种或7种以上更为健康。伦敦大学的研究人员用了7年多的时间对6万5000名成年人进行了饮食习惯的研究。他们的结论是：“水果与蔬菜的结合对人体更加健康，每天食用7种或7种以上的水果和蔬菜最佳。换句话说，如果你食用的水果和蔬菜多，那么你更有机会活得长久。

The researchers put people into five different groups, depending on how much fruit and veg they ate. They found that those who ate seven or more portions a day had a 42 per cent lower risk of death than those whoate just one portion. They recommended that schools serve healthier meals and that supermarkets put more emphasis on prominently displaying cheaper produce. They warned that frozen and canned fruit was linked to higher mortality rates. Some experts say the findings of the study should be taken with a pinch of salt. One dietician said the findings ignored the fact that people who eat more fruit and veg are generally wealthier and thus lead lifestyles that will help them live longer anyway.

研究人员将研究对象进行了5种分类，依据的是他们摄入水果和蔬菜的数量。他们发现那些每天摄入7种或者7种以上人群的死亡率比那些只吃一种的人群减少了42%。他们还建议学校要提供更加健康的食物，超市应该销售一些价格更为便宜的健康食物。他们还警告说冷冻以及罐头水果能够增加人们的死亡率。许多专家认为这一研究发现值得怀疑。一位营养学家认为这一发现忽略了一个事实，这就是食用更多水果和蔬菜的人更加健康，这样的生活方式让他们活得更长。