A US study has revealed consumption of fruit and vegetables along with dairy products may lower the risk of disability, particularly among black women.

The research, from Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Centre, found black women who consumed the highest amounts had at least a 30 per cent lower risk of disability than people eating less healthily.

A spokesman said: “Getting the recommended number of servings of dairy, fruit and vegetables should be investigated for its potential to reduce the prevalence of disability in the aging population.”

Participants in the study, who were between 45 and 64 years old when the study began, were asked to report on their diets over the past year using a 66-item food frequency questionnaire.

The same group was then surveyed nine years later on their ability to perform 12 daily activities, from dressing to walking across a room.