Dementia is estimated to affect around 47.5 million people worldwide, and this number is expected to more than triple by 2050. But according to new research, there is one simple thing older adults can do to help reduce their risk of dementia: eat their “five-a-day.”

Share on Pinterest Researchers say eating five portions of fruits and vegetables daily could reduce older adults’ dementia risk.

In a study published in the journal Age and Ageing, researchers found that eating at least three portions of vegetables and two servings of fruits daily was associated with lower risk of dementia in older adults.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommend that adults should consume at least 400 grams of fruits and vegetables daily – the equivalent to around five servings – in order to improve overall health and lower the risk of chronic diseases, such as heart disease and cancer.

Previous research has indicated that fruit and vegetable intake may also reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, but the precise amounts that should be consumed to pose such benefits have been unclear.

For this latest study, co-author Linda Lam – of the Department of Psychiatry at the Chinese University of Hong Kong – and colleagues set out to investigate whether adhering to the five-a-day recommendation is associated with reduced dementia risk.