Low fruit and vegetable consumption

This analysis assessed the levels of mean dietary intakes of fruit and vegetables (excluding potatoes) measured in grams per day. The theoreticalminimum-risk distribution for fruit and vegetable intake was estimated to be 600g/day in adults, 480g/day in children aged 5–14 years, and 330g/day in children aged 0–4 years. It is proposed to use set intervals of 80g/day of fruit and vegetables (equivalent to one serving) to elaborate the distributional transition. The effect of fruit and vegetable consumption in preventing ischaemic heart disease (IHD), cerebrovascular disease, lung cancer, stomach cancer, colon and rectum cancers and oesophageal cancer was estimated. The choice of outcomes was guided mainly by previous reviews of the literature (Law and Morris 1998; Ness and Powles 1997; World Cancer Research Fund and American Institute for Cancer Research 1997), which suggested a protective effect of fruit and vegetables for IHD, stroke and cancers of the lung and digestive tract. Health outcomes that could be reconsidered for inclusion in the next revision of the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study include cancers of the larynx, pancreas, bladder, ovary, endometrium, thyroid and prostate; type II diabetes; chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; and cataract. Estimates were based primarily on representative population-based surveys of dietary intake identified using a comprehensive search of the literature and contacts with experts. Data were obtained for 26 countries from nine subregions and pooled statistically within each subregion. When no survey data were available in a subregion, per capita food supply statistics were combined with estimates of the distribution of intakes by sex and age. Systematic extrapolations were made when the original data did not meet the comparative risk assessment (CRA) categories and when part of the estimates were unavailable. Chapter 9