Research: Physical activity and consumption of fruits and vegetables lengthen life in women 70-79 years of age

Study: Fruit and Vegetable Intake, Physical Activity, and Mortality in Older Community-Dwelling Women

Publication: Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, May 2012

Goal: “To examine the relationship between fruit and vegetable intake, physical activity, and all-cause mortality in older women.”

Participants: 713 women aged 70 to 79 years

Measurements: “Total serum carotenoids, a marker of fruit and vegetable intake, and physical activity were measured at baseline. Physical activity was measured according to kilocalorie expenditure.”

Results: “The most active women were more likely to survive than the least physically active women.  …Women in the highest tertile of total carotenoids were more likely to survive those in the lowest.”

Conclusion: “The combination of low total serum carotenoids and low physical activity, both modifiable risk factors, strongly predicted earlier mortality. These findings provide preliminary support that higher fruit and vegetable intake and exercise improve survival.”