Fruits and Vegetables Weak Link to Cancer Risk?

For nearly 20 years, we've been fed the notion that fruits and veggies may prevent up to 70% of some types of cancer diagnoses each year. Posters in health care clinics and lessons taught in classrooms repeated the mantra "Eat 5 a Day for Good Health," courtesy of the World Health Organization (WHO). Will "5 a Day" still be our standard for good health, now that Oxford University released results of a study which claims eating high amounts of fruits and veggies may not be so helpful in reducing cancer risk?

The European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study asked over 450,000 participants across Italy, Greece, Denmark, France, United Kingdom, Norway, Sweden, Germany, Netherlands and Spain to consume high quantities of fruits and vegetables and followed them for about nine years. Their results were published in several medical news sources the week of April 5, 2010, claiming fruit and veggies may not reduce overall cancer risk. However, those who heavily drank alcohol and smoked had a slightly better improvement in cancer risk.

A Closer Look

The EPIC study concluded overall occurrence of cancers only went down by about 2% with participants who ate large daily amounts of fruits and veggies between the years 1992 and 2000. The study did not take into account differences in lifestyle known to affect over all good health, like consumption of animal fats and proteins, or daily exercise.

Instead of looking at specific types of cancer, as previous clinical studies had done, the EPIC study regarded overall cancer risk of a broad spectrum of people eating a broad range of fruits and veggies. Because fruits and vegetables are well known to provide many essential nutrients enhancing overall good health and staving-off heart disease, digestive disorders and high blood pressure, Harvard School of Public Health continues to urge nine servings per day.

Additionally, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) says people who eat more fruit and vegetables daily are less likely to develop chronic and catastrophic diseases, including heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke and certain cancers.

Dr. Walter C. Willet, M.D. at Harvard School of Public Medicine, has spoken out before about potential biases inherent to classic clinical studies simply on targeted cancers. He encourages more of the prospective studies, like the EPIC, saying, "... the results suggest more research should be done to focus on potential cancer-reducing benefits of specific kinds of fruits and vegetables," and of those habits in children which may affect cancer occurrence.

The Bottom Line

The EPIC cancer report drives home the importance of a well-rounded lifestyle strategy to preventing chronic and terminal diseases. Doing just one thing is not enough to maintain good health.

"At least half of all cancer deaths are preventable by what we already know about healthy eating, exercise, maintaining appropriate weight, avoiding smoking and going for regular screenings," says Ernest T. Hawk, M.D., M.P.H., in the Newswise, Inc Medwire press release by Jeremy Moore, April 13th, 2010. Dr. Willet is vice president of the division of cancer prevention & population sciences at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, and he will be making a full presentation on the matter at the 101^st AACR Cancer Prevention Strategies Annual Meeting, 2010.

Sources

http://jnci.oxfordjournals.org
http://www.dh.gov.uk
http://www.ajpm-online.net
http://archive.sciencewatch.com
http://www.newswise.com