There are no added benefits to eating more than five 80g portions of fruit and vegetables daily, according to researchers from Chinese and US universities including the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston.

The research, published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), has pulled together the results from 16 worldwide studies involving 833,234 participants – of whom 56,423 had died during the follow-up period. The Chinese and US researchers conducted an analysis of these studies, finding that the average risk of death from all causes was reduced by five per cent for each additional daily serving of fruit and vegetables and the specific risk of cardiovascular death – from heart disease or stroke – was reduced by four per cent. The risks did not, however, drop any further for those people who ate more than five portions a day.

This analysis rebuts the data collated by scientists at the University College London in April, who analysed the eating habits of 65,000 Health Survey for England respondents over eight years. Eating at least seven portions of fresh fruit and vegetables a day was associated with 25 per cent lower risk of cancer and 31 per cent lower risk of heart disease or stroke.

Lead researcher at the University College London, Dr Oyinlola Oyebode, told the BBC that both studies showed eating more fruit and vegetables was associated with lower risk of early death.

The British public still needs to focus on reaching the target of consuming five portions a day, says Dr Alison Tedston, chief nutritionist at Public Health England, “The majority of people in England are not eating enough fruit and vegetables with the latest National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS) data from 2008 to 2012 showing that only 30 per cent of adults and 41 per cent of older adults met the five-a-day recommendation.”