A survey of 500,000 people in Europe has suggested that eating five a day might not help prevent cancer.

BBC News reports that the Labour government’s urge for consumers to eat five different fruits and vegetables daily to ward off disease might not actually serve any benefit.

In 1991, the World Health Organization (WHO) first announced that eating ‘five a day’ would bring preventative health benefits relating to serious illnesses such as cancer. It was suggested that as many as 50 per cent of cancers might be prevented by eating five fruits or vegetables every day.

However, an international team of researchers has estimated that the actual benefit could be as little as 2.5 per cent of cancers being prevented by eating ‘five a day’.

Many countries have adopted the WHO’s advice as part of their public health policy, however – and Labour adopted it as a central part of their health policy in 2003.

In the latest study by the highly respected European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition, volunteers from 10 EU countries were recruited. The team was led by researchers from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York and the study factored in lifestyle factors such as smoking and exercise.

The team concluded, however, that the small benefit seen in eating ‘five a day’ might actually be caused by the fact that people who ate more fruit and vegetables might generally lead healthier lives.

The ‘best case scenario’ the researchers found was that an extra two portions of fruit and vegetables each day could prevent 2.6 per cent of cancers in men and 2.3 per cent of cases in women.

Cancer Research UK said:

‘It's still a good idea to eat your five-a-day – but remember that fruits and vegetables are pieces in a much larger lifestyle jigsaw.

‘There are many things we can do to lower our chances of developing cancer – such as not smoking, keeping a healthy weight, cutting down on alcohol, eating a healthy balanced diet, being physically active and staying safe in the sun.’

The research is published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

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