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Study adds data that vegetables reduce cancer risk

By Deena Beasley Sun Apr 15 2007, 10:07 PM ET

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - New research is strengthening evidence that following

mom's admonition to eat your vegetables may be some of the best health advice

around.

A large study of 500,000 American retirees has found that just one extra

serving of fruit or vegetables a day may reduce the risk of developing head and

neck cancer.

Numerous studies have demonstrated that diet plays a role in cancer. Cancer

experts now believe that up to two-thirds of all cancers come from lifestyle

factors such as smoking, diet and lack of exercise.

"It may not sound like news that vegetables protect from cancer, but there is

actually some controversy in the literature. It is important that we do these

large studies," said Dr. Alan Kristal, associate head of the cancer prevention

program at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle.

Researchers at the

National Cancer Institute queried men and women aged 50 and older about their

diets, then followed participants for five years to record all diagnoses of

head and neck cancer, which is the sixth-leading cause of cancer-related death

worldwide.

Tobacco and alcohol use increase the risk of head and neck cancers, which

affect the mouth, nose, sinuses and throat.

The study found eating six servings of fruit and vegetables per day per 1,000

calories cut the risk of head and neck cancer by 29 percent compared to eating

one and a half servings.

The typical adult consumes around 2,000 calories a day.

"Increasing consumption by just one serving of fruit or vegetables per 1,000

calories per day was associated with a 6 percent reduction in head and neck

cancer risk, said Neal Freedman, cancer prevention fellow at the NCI.

A second study of food consumption in more than 183,000 residents of California

and Hawaii found that a diet high in flavonols might help reduce pancreatic

cancer risk, especially in smokers.

Flavonols are common in plant-based foods but are found in highest

concentrations in onions, apples, berries, kale and broccoli.

The study found that people who ate the largest amounts of flavonols had a 23

percent reduced risk of developing pancreatic cancer compared to those who ate

the least.