We have a conventional thinking that consuming lots of fruits and vegetables enables us to shed weight. But a recent European study has proved our believed totally wrong by revealing that merely by consuming lots of fruits and vegetables one cannot ward off weight gaining which approaches with age. But the study findings also showed that people who have quit smoking habits in recent times may shed some weight and can continue it.

For the sake of the study the researchers selected 374,000 adult people from 10 European countries and observed them for 5 years. After the five years they found that among the total 374,000 participants those who consume the most fruits and vegetables showed no extra tendency of holding off weight gaining. In the study researchers also considered the amount of calorie consumption and exercise habits of the participants.

The researchers did not mean to say that we can avoid eating fruits and vegetables but their intention was to emphasize on the fact that for holding off weight gaining one have to maintain an overall healthy lifestyle along with healthy eating.

Led researcher Anne-Claire Vergnaud has mentioned that although nutrient contents of plant foods help preventing heart diseases and some of the cancers they cannot alone ward off weight gaining.  Number of previous studies advised overweight people to eat as much fruits and vegetables as they can because changes in dietary habits may lose some weight.

For the sake of the study the researchers collected data about diet and weight from 25 to 70 years of old people. After 5 years of study the researchers found that each of the participants put on one pounds of weight every year on average. The findings also showed that male participants somehow reduced some weight after increasing fruit and veggie intake but then the researchers found that the reduction of weight was due to the reduction of their daily calorie intake etc. The female participants who claimed to be the most vegetarian were found to gain some extra weight.

There was a group of participants, the researchers have mentioned who were found to reduce some weight and continued it after they increased their veggie intake. It was the group of people who reported to quit smoking.

The study findings were published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.