A new research has found that if one eats plenty of fruits and veggies when young, he will have a healthier heart in his later years.

The research conducted by American Heart Association explained that eating more fruits and vegetables as a young adult, was associated with less calcified coronary artery plaque 20 years later.

The researchers examined 2,506 participants based on their daily consumption of fruits and vegetables and observed that women consumed an average of nearly nine servings of daily fruits and vegetables, whereas men averaged more than seven daily servings.

The study noted that people who ate the most fruits and vegetables at the start of their examination had 26% lower odds of developing calcified plaque, a disease that hardens arteries and underlies many types of heart disease, 20 years later, compared to those who ate the least amount of fruits and vegetables.

Michael D Miedema, lead author of the study, said that people shouldn’t assume that they can wait until they’re older to eat healthy as what one eats as a young adult may be as important as what he/she eats as an older adult.