Top five-a-day foods new study says your heart needs

"Most people assume that eating plenty of fruit and vegetables covers this, but what this research shows is that the specific choices you make matter far more than the total amount."

— Dr Javier Ottaviani , Academic

"Different fruits and vegetables offer very different nutritional benefits beyond vitamins and minerals."

— Prof Gunter Kuhnle , Academic

"There was no real evidence yet showing actual reductions in heart disease outcomes."

— Prof Naveed Sattar , Academic

"The levels of flavanol in fruit and vegetables can vary widely, as they also do in fibre content."

— Prof Ana Rodriguez-Mateos , Academic

"Small amounts are absorbed directly."

— Dell Stanford , Activist

"Heart disease is still one of the main causes of ill health and death — and it is therefore important to identify ways to reduce disease risk."

— Gunter G. C. Kuhnle , Academic

"If people are not reaching a high enough level of flavanols that can improve the risk of developing heart disease despite eating the recommended 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day, then it may be necessary to improve the public understanding of which foods are richer in flavanols."

— Cheng-Han Chen , Academic

"Flavanols can significantly reduce the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease, but only if you consume enough of them."

— Dr Javier Ottaviani , Academic

"Five-a-day is the right message, but we may need to think more carefully about which five."

— Professor Gunter Kuhnle , Academic

"some simple food switches could 'make a real difference' to how much of these beneficial compounds are absorbed."

— Dr Javier Ottaviani , Academic

"while five-a-day was still the right message, we may need to think more carefully about which five."

— Prof Gunter Kuhnle , Academic

"there was no real evidence yet showing actual reductions in heart disease outcomes."

— Prof Naveed Sattar , Academic

"the levels of flavanol in fruit and vegetables can vary widely, as they also do in fibre content."

— Prof Ana Rodriguez-Mateos , Academic

"how much flavanol is contained in different products depends on where the food is grown."

— Dell Stanford , Activist

"Most people assume that eating plenty of fruit and vegetables covers this, but what this research shows is that the specific choices you make matter far more than the total amount."

— Dr Javier Ottaviani , Academic

"Different fruits and vegetables offer very different nutritional benefits beyond vitamins and minerals."

— Prof Gunter Kuhnle , Academic

"Although some small trials had shown some favourable effects of flavonoids on blood pressure, there was no real evidence yet showing actual reductions in heart disease outcomes."

— Prof Naveed Sattar , Academic

"The levels of flavanol in fruit and vegetables can vary widely."

— Prof Ana Rodriguez-Mateos , Academic

"Flavanols can significantly reduce the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease, but only if you consume enough of them."

— Dr Javier Ottaviani , Academic

"Most people assume that eating plenty of fruit and vegetables covers this, but what this research shows is that the specific choices you make matter far more than the total amount."

— Dr Javier Ottaviani , Academic

"Different fruits and vegetables offer very different nutritional benefits beyond vitamins and minerals, and as our understanding of these compounds grows, there is a real opportunity to make dietary guidance more specific and more effective."

— Professor Gunter Kuhnle , Academic

"Flavanols can significantly reduce the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease, but only if you consume enough of them."

— Javier Ottaviani , Academic

"This study highlights the value of being more intentional within broader food groups."

— Michelle Routhenstein , Academic