Study price cuts on fruit and vegetables would avoid thousands of deaths each year

Fruits and vegetables protect against heart disease but are too expensive
Fresh fruits and vegetables are usually not really cheap. For this reason, many families refrain from such food to save money. But just these foods reduce the likelihood of various cardiovascular diseases. Thus, reducing the price of fruits and vegetables could prevent many deaths each year.

Some people try to save money by refraining from buying fruits and vegetables. Because the fresh food is usually not really cheap. Researchers have now found in an investigation that many lives could be saved every year when fruit and vegetable prices are cut. The international research team published the results of its work at a meeting of the American Heart Association.

A reduction in the price of fruit and vegetables could significantly improve the health of the population. (Picture: let's design / fotolia.com)

Experts call for media campaigns and price cuts
Poor nutrition is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. These cause the most deaths in the United States, said senior researcher Jonathan Pearson-Stuttard at the presentation of the study results. Governments would therefore need to implement effective dietary guidelines to handle the growing burden. Mass media campaigns and price reductions of fruit and vegetables are important tools in achieving this goal, the physician adds.

Each adult should eat almost five servings of fruits and vegetables per day
Fruits and vegetables contain vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and other nutrients that help the body protect the heart from high blood pressure and the effects of cholesterol. In addition, they reduce the risk of heart disease, explain the researchers. An active adult should consume about 2,000 calories per day. The diet should contain at least 4.5 servings of fruits and vegetables per day to give our heart health benefits. If the price of fruits and vegetables is reduced, many consumers could buy more of the healthy food, the researchers concluded. Lowering the price by about ten percent over the next 15 years could, according to their findings, save around 64,000 to 69,000 lives of people in the US who would otherwise die from the effects of heart disease.

A price cut of 30 percent could save up to 205,000 lives by 2030
In their next calculation, the researchers discovered that a 30 percent reduction in fruits and vegetables could save between 191,000 and 205,000 lives over the same period. Researchers based their calculations on the death rates of people with heart disease by the year 2030. They tried to estimate how many people would die of heart disease over the next 15 years and compared the death rate to the number of lives lost by eating more fruits and vegetables could be saved. In addition, there are people who want to eat healthy, but do not have the financial freedom to do so, explain the doctors. If the prices of fruits and vegetables are lowered, these people could buy more healthy food without having to pay attention to their budget. This price reduction would allow many people to buy more fruits and vegetables and thereby improve their diet. This circumstance could ultimately reduce the risk of heart disease, say the experts.

Fruits and vegetables should be subsidized
The awareness, availability and affordability of healthy foods such as fruits and vegetables needs to improve, Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian of Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Measures should be taken to subsidize fruits and vegetables. This could result in positive health effects that are independent of race or ethnic group, adds the physician. A price reduction of healthy food could be done quickly and would significantly improve the health of the population, the researchers emphasized. (As)