London –  Eating at least seven portions of fruit and vegetables every day is healthier than the publicised “five a day” and will make people live longer, according to a new research finding.

The Britain’s National Health Service had recommended that every person in Britain should try to have five different 80 gramme portions of fruit and vegetables a day, based on advice from the WHO.

However, in a new study published in the Journal of Epidemiological and Community Health, researchers found that an increase in daily fruit and vegetable intake linked to lower chances of death from stroke and cancer, and could prolong lives.

The researchers from the University College London examined the eating habits of 65,000 people in England between 2001 and 2008 and found that people who ate seven or more portions daily had a 42 per cent reduced risk of death overall compared to those who had just one.

They also found that fresh vegetables had the strongest protective effect, followed by salad and then fruit.

The researchers also discovered that vegetables pack more of a protective punch than fruit.

It was discovered that people who ate canned or frozen fruit had a higher risk of heart disease, stroke and cancer.

The authors, however, argued that people eating canned fruit could be living  in areas where there were no fresh fruit in the shops, which could indicate a poorer diet.

“The clear message here is that the more fruit and vegetables you eat, the less likely you are to die at any age,” the Lead Author, Dr Oyinlola Oyebode, said, adding that the size of the effect was “staggering”.

However, eating a few portions a day was still better than nothing, she added.