New research confirms the "five-a-day" target for eating fruits and vegetables currently recommended in some countries is the way towards better health.

The research that pooled results from worldwide studies involving over 830,000 persons also found that eating more than the five-a-day target had no effect on improving health.

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The new analysis looked at 16 studies in the U.S., Asia and Europe that saw the participation of 833,000 persons. Of this total, some 56,000 persons died during the follow-up period.

Researchers in the U.S. and China reported eating more fruit and vegetables is linked to a lower risk of dying from any cause, especially from cardiovascular disease.

The average risk of death fell by some five percent for every extra serving of fruit and vegetables. This applies to up to five servings a day but not more.

"There was a threshold around five servings of fruit and vegetables a day, after which the risk of all cause mortality did not reduce further," said Prof Frank Hu, of Harvard School of Public Health, in Boston, who led the research team.

He said this analysis is further evidence that a higher consumption of fruit and vegetables is associated with a lower risk of all-cause mortality, especially cardiovascular mortality.

The five-a-day recommendation is based on advice from the World Health Organization. It promotes the health benefits of eating five 80 gram portions of fruit and vegetables every day

WHO suggests the five portions should include a variety of fruit and vegetables. Some governments, however, said fresh, frozen, canned, dried or pure juices should be included in the five-a-day recommendation.

Potatoes and cassava shouldn't be included because they mainly contribute starch to the diet.

A previous study in England, however, found eating seven or more portions of fruit and vegetables a day was healthier than the minimum five and could prolong lives.

Whichever is correct, both studies showed eating more fruits and vegetables is associated with a lower risk of early death.

The findings made by Prof. Hu and his team were recently published in The BMJ, a weekly peer-reviewed medical journal published in the United Kingdom. The BMJ is one of the world's oldest general medical journals.