MONDAY, Jan. 30 (HealthDay News) — Consuming more than five daily servings of fruit and vegetables significantly reduces the risk of stroke, according to an analysis in the Jan. 28 issue of The Lancet.

Feng J. He, Ph.D., of St. George’s University of London, U.K., and colleagues analyzed eight studies involving 257,551 people, which reported the stroke risks associated with the frequency of fruit and vegetable intake. The study included 4,917 stroke events.

The researchers found a stroke relative risk of 0.89 for people eating three to five servings of fruit and vegetables a day compared with those eating less than that, and a 0.74 risk for those consuming more than five servings a day.

“Our results provide strong support for the recommendations to consume more than five servings of fruit and vegetables per day, which is likely to cause a major reduction in strokes,” the authors write.

In an accompanying comment, Lyn M. Steffen, Ph.D., of the University of Minnesota School of Public Health in Minneapolis, writes: “We, as a society, must provide the structure and means for our children to develop healthy eating habits that promote good health into adulthood. So eat your fruits and vegetables, they are good for your health.”