Vegetable Protect Against Lung Cancer

It would appear that consuming a variety of vegetables and fruit has been proven to have a beneficial effect in protecting the body against the development of squamous cell lung cancer.

The announcement was made in a new press release by the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). It would appear that the correlation holds true regardless of the amount of veggies or fruits people consume.

“Although quitting smoking is the most important preventive action in reducing lung cancer risk, consuming a mix of different types of fruit and vegetables may also reduce risk, independent of the amount, especially among smokers,” explains H. Bas Bueno-de-Mesquita, MD, MPH, PhD.

He is a senior scientist and at The National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, in the Netherlands, and also the project director of cancer epidemiology at the organization.

Details of the new investigation appear in the latest issue of the esteemed scientific journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, which is published by the AACR.

“Fruits and vegetables contain many different bioactive compounds, and it makes sense to assume that it is important that you not only eat the recommended amounts, but also consume a rich mix of these bioactive compounds by consuming a large variety,” Bueno-de-Mesquit adds.

In order to reach these conclusions, the investigators analyzed data collected during the still-ongoing, multi-centered European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study.

Of the about 452,187 study participants, more than 1,613 developed lung cancer over the course of the investigation. The research data focused on 14 commonly eaten fruits and 26 vegetables.

“The results are very interesting and demonstrate a protective effect in smokers. There are still over a billion smokers in the world, and many are addicted to nicotine and cannot stop in spite of their best efforts,” explains Stephen Hecht, PhD.

He is based at the University of Minnesota Masonic Cancer Center, where he is the Wallin Land Grant Professor of Cancer Prevention.

The expert is also an editorial board member for the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.

While it's true that vegetables and fruits may contribute to reducing the risk of lung cancer, people should not abuse smoking, thinking that they will be alright if they just eat more plants.

“The public should be made aware and be reminded that the only proven way to reduce your risk for lung cancer is to avoid tobacco in all its forms,” Hecht concludes.