Geneva :  Eating fruits and vegetables every day can reduce your risk of developing heart disease by 20 percent, a World Health Organization (WHO) study showed.

Death rates from heart disease are twice as high among people who eat diets high in saturated fat, trans fats and salt such as junk food, Xinhua quoted the study as saying. More people around the world die from cardiovascular diseases than any other causes.

These diseases were responsible for 17.3 million deaths in 2008, representing 30 percent of all global deaths, WHO said Wednesday.

The major causes of cardiovascular disease are tobacco use, physical inactivity, unhealthy diet and harmful use of alcohol.

WHO predicts if the current rising trend continues, by 2030 almost 23.6 million people will die from cardiovascular diseases.