Although beneficial for health in general, a diet high in fruits and vegetables probably won't reduce your risk of cancer, according to a study led by researchers at Mt Sinai Hospital.

The analysis, published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, looked at over eight years of dietary data from more than 400,000 people and found that the relationship between high consumption of fruits and vegetables and a reduced risk of cancer is not nearly as strong as previously reported.

Many studies have tested the idea and the results have been mixed; but none of the research so far has been able to confirm a link between fruit and vegetable intake and cancer resistance.

For the new study, researchers analyzed data from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study to assess relationships between cancer risk and intake of total fruits,  vegetables, and  fruits and vegetables combined.

The EPIC cohort included 142,605 men and 335,873 women recruited between 1992 and 2000 from 10 Western European countries. Detailed information on their dietary habits and lifestyle variables was obtained. After a median follow-up of 8.7 years, more than 30,000 of the study's participants were diagnosed with cancer.

 A small but significant inverse relationship  was found between high intake of fruits and vegetables and overall cancer risk. In this population, an increase of 200 grams a day of fruits and vegetables resulted in a reduction of about 3 percent of cancer risk. Vegetable consumption by itself also afforded a modest benefit but was restricted to women. Heavy drinkers who ate many fruits and vegetables had a somewhat reduced risk, but only for cancers caused by smoking and alcohol.

"The bottom line here is that, yes, we did find a protective effect of fruit and vegetable intake against cancer, but it is a smaller connection than previously thought," said lead author Dr. Paolo Boffetta. "Any cancer protective effect of these foods is likely to be modest, at best.




Citation: Boffetta et al., 'Fruit and Vegetable Intake and Overall Cancer Risk in the European Prospective Investigation Into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)', Journal of the National Cancer Institute, April 2010; doi:10.1093/jnci/djq072