Eat more fruit and vegetables, and less sugar and fat has been conventional dietary wisdom for a while now. Until now, we’ve been unable to quantify which is the most important.

A report released by the government’s Australian Institute of Health and Welfare today (10 May 2016) has found that not eating enough fruit is the worst dietary risk factor for disease in Australia. The five major disease groups assessed by the study included cancer, cardiovascular disease, mental and substance abuse disorders, muscular skeletal conditions and injuries.

A diet low in vegetables was the second highest dietary risk factor, according to the report, followed by consuming high levels of processed meat, and then low levels of nuts and seeds.

High levels of sodium and sweetened beverages were both in the bottom five of the 13 dietary risks assessed by the Australian Burden of Disease Study: Impact and causes of illness and death in Australia 2011.

Unsurprisingly, tobacco use was the highest risk factor of the whole study (classed as behavioural), followed by alcohol use, a high body mass and physical inactivity.

Katie Clift, spokesperson for the Queensland Cancer Council, said the information is not a hall pass to load up on soda.

“It’s crucial for [people] to enjoy a wide variety of nutritious foods from the five recommended food groups every day. Eat plenty of vegetables, fruit, grain foods, lean meats and poultry, legumes and beans, and milk, yoghurt and cheese. It’s important to limit intake of foods containing saturated fat, added salt, added sugars and alcohol for overall health and happiness,” she said.

“Physical inactivity, high body mass, alcohol use and a diet low in fruit are among the top five modifiable risk factors contributing to the burden of cancer. We know up to a third of all cancers are preventable through simple lifestyle changes including maintaining a healthy weight, eating a healthy diet, limiting alcohol and being active.”

And so we return to return to conventional wisdom on diets once again.