Eating a Variety of Fruit Every Day Can Help Prevent Lung Cancer

Consuming 5 portions of vegetables and fruits each day is one of the strategies that experts usually recommend for protecting against cancer. The European EPIC study conducted by researchers coming from ten countries has revealed that, when it comes to lung cancer prevention, the important factor is not only the amount but also the variety of fruit eaten, which could reduce risk of lung cancer risk by up to 23 percent.[1]

This research is a more in depth look into the relationship between diet and lung cancer prevention. Besides the quantity eaten, it’s also important to consider the variety of fruit eaten. A varied diet can reduce lung cancer risk, especially in smokers. If smokers increase the variety of fruit they consume they can have a lower risk of developing lung cancer.

The results of this research reveal that consuming “more than 8 sub-groups” of vegetables reduces lung cancer risk by 23 percent in comparison to eating “less than 4 sub-groups”. What’s more, this risk drops by a further 4 percent for every item included to the diet from another sub-group. For every 2 additional items of different types of vegetables and fruit in the diet, risk of lung cancer drops substantially by 3 percent .

Lung cancer is still one of the more common cancers in developed countries. That is why, in spite of the encouraging results of this research, the conclusion is that “the most effective lung cancer prevention method is still the reduction of tobacco consumption among the population”.

Greater variety in vegetable and fruit consumption is also linked to a reduced risk of getting epidermoid carcinoma of the lung, and an additional 2 items of vegetable and fruit consumption resulting in a 9 percent reduction in risk. This effect is clearer in smokers (where the risk drops by 12 percent).

Lung Cancer Prevention

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