New study finds 'adequate' fruit, vegetable diet can boost life expectancy

Taipei, Oct. 7 (CNA) A healthy diet that includes at least four servings of fruits and vegetables per week can increase life expectancy in Taiwan by an average 3.25 years, according to the findings of a recent study released Monday.

The fruit and vegetable diet was among five lifestyle factors associated with life expectancy in the research conducted at Taipei Medical University (TMU), the team said a press conference Monday.

The study examined how diet, smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity and weight could impact the life expectancy of Taiwan residents, according to Lo Wei-cheng (羅偉成), an associate professor of public health at TMU.

During the study, Lo's research team, along with National Taiwan University's College of Public Health and Academia Sinica's Institute of Statistical Science, analyzed the data of 19,893 individuals compiled through a National Health Interview Survey, the researchers said in statement released Monday.

The study participants were 30 years old and over when the first two health surveys were conducted in Taiwan in 2001 and 2005, with a mean age of 48.8, the statement said. During a median follow-up period of 15.6 years, 3,815 participants died, the report showed.

The five lifestyle factors considered in the study were smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity during leisure time, the intake of fruit and vegetables, and the weight factor as represented by the body mass index (BMI), the statement said.

On average, the participants who adopted healthy choices in all five areas had a life expectancy of 7.13 years more than those who did not, Lo said. He explained that the researchers used the rolling extrapolation method, which is an estimation of a value based on extending the known factors beyond the scope of the model.

Regarding the individual factors, a "sufficient" fruit and vegetable intake was associated with a life expectancy gain of 3.25 years, indicating that it was the most significant factor among the five studied in the research, he said.

Some 90 percent of the participants who were estimated to have gained the comparative increased life expectancy had a "sufficient intake" of at least four servings of fruits and four helpings of vegetables per week, Lo said.

The recommended "five a day" diet -- three servings of vegetables and two serving of fruits per day -- was adopted by only 10 percent of the participants, he added.

According to the report, while the study did not investigate the effects of the intake of specific foods and nutrients, the quantity of fruits and vegetables consumed partially indicated the healthiness of a diet.

Meanwhile, the participants who had never smoked were estimated to have gained a life expectancy of an additional 2.31 years, while those who were physically active gained 1.85 years, and the non-drinkers and light drinkers 1.62 years, Lo said.

A "nonsignificant" gain of 0.72 years was indicated for people who maintained a normal BMI from 18.5 to less than 25 kilogram per square meter, he said.

However, the research team found that overweight people spent 21.1 percent more on healthcare than those kept their weight in check, he said, adding that the study also examined the impact of lifestyle factors on healthcare expenditure.

The data on direct healthcare costs of the participants, including inpatient and outpatient care, was obtained from the claims database of the National Health Insurance, according to the research findings published in the JMIR Public Health and Surveillance journal in July.