A recent study states that if a person eats seven portions of fruits and vegetables a day, it increases the level of happiness.
For years it has been believed that five portions of fruits and vegetables a day keeps one happy and mentally fit. However, researchers have now found that seven portions a day is better than five.
Researchers from the Centre for Competitive Advantage in the Global Economy at Warwick University's Department of Economics now observed that people who eat seven to eight portions a day are comparatively more cheerful and mentally healthy.
"This study has shown surprising results. It's an incredibly strong pattern and we were stunned when we initially looked at the data," said Professor Andrew Oswald, of the Centre for Competitive Advantage in the Global Economy at Warwick University's Department of Economics, which conducted the research. "We think we're on to something really important here. However, we don't really know why this is - whether there is something in the biochemistry of the fruit and veg which works inside humans.
"We know that fruit and veg carry a lot of antioxidants and those protect us against attacks on the body. But how that works through into our minds and emotions, researchers have no idea."
The study was conducted on over 80,000 voluntary participants. Each person was scored on a scale of 0 to 10 on how happy and satisfied they were in life. It was found that who ate around eight portions of fruit and vegetables a day had an average score that was one point higher than people who did not eat any.
"I have decided it is prudent to eat more fruit and vegetables. I am keen to stay cheery. If I were David Cameron I would be getting my health advisers in and saying, 'Should we be increasing the message to seven-a-day?'"
The study, published in the journal Social Indicators Research, concludes: "Our findings are consistent with the need for high levels of fruit and vegetable consumption for mental health and not merely for physical health."
