The impact of vegetable and fruit consumption on mortality in persons aged 65 years and older: results of a prospective cohort study

BACKGROUND: High consumption of vegetables and fruits is associated with a reduced risk of developing cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes mellitus, cancer and all — causes mortality. However, most studies on the health benefits of fruit and vegetable consumption have traditionally focused on children, adolescents, young and middle-aged people, and only a few of them included older adults, and even more so did not take into account the geriatric status of the study participants.

AIM: To assess the effect of fruit and vegetable consumption on mortality in Russian population people 65 years and older.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: A prospective cohort study of a random sample of individuals aged 65 years and older (n = 383). The main parameters of the study: Mini Nutritional Assessment anthropometry, clinical blood test, albumin, total protein, C-reactive protein, comprehensive geriatric assessment, 2.5 years of follow-up.

RESULTS: The average age of the participants was 77.7 ± 5.7 years. The frequency of fruit and vegetable consumption was higher among women, compared with men by 16.7% (95% confidence interval 1.5–33.6%). Consumption of 2 or more portions vegetables and/or fruits per day was associated with a reduced risk of death from all causes with hazard ratio 0.401 (95% confidence interval 0.180–0.896) after adjusting for gender, age of study participants, presence of malnourishment syndrome, protein intake, glasses drunk per day, body mass index, reduced middle arm circumstance, falls, cognitive status, autonomy decline and a decrease in the level of physical function.

CONCLUSIONS: Consumption of 2 or more portions of vegetables and/or fruits per day was independently associated with a 59.9% reduction in the risk of death from all causes in persons aged 65 years and older.