Eating More Fruits and Veggies Can Help With Colorectal Cancer

A new study published in the October issue of The Journal of the American Dietetic Association suggests the eating fruits and veggies can have a positive effect on colorectal cancer (CRC).

Researchers found that within the proximal and distal colon, brassica vegetables, such as brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli, were associated with decreased risk of these types of cancer. There was a slightly lowered risk associated with eating apples, as well. However, those who drank a good deal of fruit juice were at increased risk.

"Fruits and vegetables have been examined extensively in nutritional research in relation to CRC, however, their protective effect has been subject to debate, possibly because of different effects on different subsites of the large bowel," said the study's lead investigator, Professor Lin Fritschi, PhD, of the Epidemiology Group at the Western Australian Institute for Medical Research in Perth. "It may be that some of the confusion about the relationship between diet and cancer risk is due to the fact that previous studies did not take site of the CRC into account. The replication of these findings in large prospective studies may help determine whether a higher intake of vegetables is a means for reducing the risk of distal CRC."

Researchers from the Western Australian Institute for Medical Research, along with researchers from Deakin University, studied the link between fruits and veggies and three types of cancer in different parts of the bowel. They studied proximal colon cancer, distal colon cancer, and rectal cancer. They analyzed 918 patients who had been diagnosed with CRC, and 1,021 control participants who had no history of CRC or other cancer. The participants completed extensive questionnaires that asked about their medical and nutritional details and were also assigned a socioeconomic status based on where they lived.

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