Edited by Jonathan D.
Kantrowitz
Published by Tsadek Press
Copyright, Jonathan Kantrowitz 2014
8.5 x 11, 154 pages
$12.95
2 Tsadek Press books $19.95
3 Tsadek Press books $24.95
Call 1-800-232--2224 to order a pdf of this title
Everyone knows that fruits and vegetables are good for you. But did you have any idea HOW good they are? And which fruits and vegetables are particularly helpful in avoiding specific health problems? This fascinating book offers the latest research on the many benefits of fruits and vegetables for better health.
Table of Contents:
All Fruits And
Vegetables
Appendix -
Fructose and Health 147
Last
Minute Additions – Latest Research
Pomegranate
vs Alzheimer's and Parkinson's 153
Sample reports
Higher Intake
of Fruits and Vegetables = Lower Risk of Bladder Cancer
University
of Hawaii Cancer Center Researcher Song-Yi Park, PhD, along with her
colleagues, recently discovered that a greater consumption of fruits and
vegetables may lower the risk of invasive bladder cancer in women.
The
investigation was conducted as part of the Multiethnic Cohort (MEC) Study,
established in 1993 to assess the relationships among dietary, lifestyle,
genetic factors, and cancer risk. Park and her fellow researcher's analyzed
data collected from 185,885 older adults over a period of 12.5 years, of which
581 invasive bladder cancer cases were diagnosed (152 women and 429 men).
After
adjusting for variables related to cancer risk (age, etc.) the researchers
found that women who consumed the most fruits and vegetables had the lowest
bladder cancer risk. For instance, women consuming the most yellow-orange
vegetables were 52% less likely to have bladder cancer than women consuming the
least yellow-orange vegetables. The data also suggested that women with the
highest intake of vitamins A, C, and E had the lowest risk of bladder cancer.
No associations between fruit and vegetable intake and invasive bladder cancer
were found in men.
"Our
study supports the fruit and vegetable recommendation for cancer prevention,
said Park. "However, further investigation is needed to understand and
explain why the reduced cancer risk with higher consumption of fruits and
vegetables was confined to only women."
Plant
Flavonoid Luteolin Blocks Cell Signaling Pathways in Colon Cancer Cells
Luteolin
is a flavonoid commonly found in fruit and vegetables. Dietary sources include
celery, green pepper, thyme, perilla, chamomile tea, carrots, olive oil,
peppermint, rosemary, navel oranges, and oregano. This compound has been shown
in laboratory conditions to have anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant and
anti-cancer properties but results from epidemiological studies have been less
certain.
Research
published January, 2012 in BioMed Central's open access journal BMC Gastroenterology shows that luteolin
is able to inhibit the activity of cell signaling pathways (IGF and PI3K)
important for the growth of cancer in colon cancer cells.
Colon
cancer is the second most frequent cause of cancer-related death in the Western
World. Colon cancer cells have elevated levels of IGF-II compared to normal
colon tissues. It is thought that this is part of the mechanism driving
uncontrolled cell division and cancer growth. Researchers from Korea showed
that luteolin was able to block the secretion of IGF-II by colon cancer cells
and within two hours decreased the amount of receptor (IGF-IR) precursor
protein. Luteolin also reduced the amount of active receptor (measured by IGF-I
dependent phosphorylation).
Luteolin
inhibited the growth stimulatory effect of IGF-I and the team led by Prof Jung
Han Yoon Park found that luteolin affected cell signaling pathways which are
activated by IGF-I in cancer. Prof Jung Han Yoon Park explained, "Luteolin
reduced IGF-I-dependent activation of the cell signaling pathways PI3K, Akt,
and ERK1/2 and CDC25c. Blocking these pathways stops cancer cells from dividing
and leads to cell death."
Prof
Jung Park continued, "Our study, showing that luteolin interferes with
cell signaling in colon cancer cells, is a step forward in understanding how
this flavonoid works. A fuller understanding of the in vivo results is
essential to determine how it might be developed into an effective
chemopreventive agent."
2 Tsadek Press books $19.95
3 Tsadek Press books $24.95
Call 1-800-232--2224 to order a pdf of this title
Table of Contents:
All Fruits And
Vegetables
Cancer
and Cardiovascular Benefits 5
Cancer
Benefits 7
Cardiovascular
Benefits 19
Diabetes
Benefits 27
Happiness
Benefits 30
Miscellaneous
Benefits 32
Apples 40
Berries
Blueberries,
Raspberries, and Strawberries 52
Blueberries 61
Strawberries
67
Citrus Fruits 75
Grapes and
Raisins 79
Melons 85
Peaches, Plums
and Prunes 89
Miscellaneous
Fruits 97
Beets 102
Cruciferous
vegetables: broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower 106
Leafy greens 127
Tomatoes 130
Miscellaneous
Vegetables 134
Pulses 139
Nuts 142
Appendix -
Fructose and Health 147
Appendix -
Fruit Juice Risks 151
Last
Minute Additions – Latest Research
Pomegranate
vs Alzheimer's and Parkinson's 153
Sample reports
Higher Intake
of Fruits and Vegetables = Lower Risk of Bladder Cancer
University
of Hawaii Cancer Center Researcher Song-Yi Park, PhD, along with her
colleagues, recently discovered that a greater consumption of fruits and
vegetables may lower the risk of invasive bladder cancer in women.
The
investigation was conducted as part of the Multiethnic Cohort (MEC) Study,
established in 1993 to assess the relationships among dietary, lifestyle,
genetic factors, and cancer risk. Park and her fellow researcher's analyzed
data collected from 185,885 older adults over a period of 12.5 years, of which
581 invasive bladder cancer cases were diagnosed (152 women and 429 men).
After
adjusting for variables related to cancer risk (age, etc.) the researchers
found that women who consumed the most fruits and vegetables had the lowest
bladder cancer risk. For instance, women consuming the most yellow-orange
vegetables were 52% less likely to have bladder cancer than women consuming the
least yellow-orange vegetables. The data also suggested that women with the
highest intake of vitamins A, C, and E had the lowest risk of bladder cancer.
No associations between fruit and vegetable intake and invasive bladder cancer
were found in men.
"Our
study supports the fruit and vegetable recommendation for cancer prevention,
said Park. "However, further investigation is needed to understand and
explain why the reduced cancer risk with higher consumption of fruits and
vegetables was confined to only women."
Plant
Flavonoid Luteolin Blocks Cell Signaling Pathways in Colon Cancer Cells
Luteolin
is a flavonoid commonly found in fruit and vegetables. Dietary sources include
celery, green pepper, thyme, perilla, chamomile tea, carrots, olive oil,
peppermint, rosemary, navel oranges, and oregano. This compound has been shown
in laboratory conditions to have anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant and
anti-cancer properties but results from epidemiological studies have been less
certain.
Research
published January, 2012 in BioMed Central's open access journal BMC Gastroenterology shows that luteolin
is able to inhibit the activity of cell signaling pathways (IGF and PI3K)
important for the growth of cancer in colon cancer cells.
Colon
cancer is the second most frequent cause of cancer-related death in the Western
World. Colon cancer cells have elevated levels of IGF-II compared to normal
colon tissues. It is thought that this is part of the mechanism driving
uncontrolled cell division and cancer growth. Researchers from Korea showed
that luteolin was able to block the secretion of IGF-II by colon cancer cells
and within two hours decreased the amount of receptor (IGF-IR) precursor
protein. Luteolin also reduced the amount of active receptor (measured by IGF-I
dependent phosphorylation).
Luteolin
inhibited the growth stimulatory effect of IGF-I and the team led by Prof Jung
Han Yoon Park found that luteolin affected cell signaling pathways which are
activated by IGF-I in cancer. Prof Jung Han Yoon Park explained, "Luteolin
reduced IGF-I-dependent activation of the cell signaling pathways PI3K, Akt,
and ERK1/2 and CDC25c. Blocking these pathways stops cancer cells from dividing
and leads to cell death."
Prof
Jung Park continued, "Our study, showing that luteolin interferes with
cell signaling in colon cancer cells, is a step forward in understanding how
this flavonoid works. A fuller understanding of the in vivo results is
essential to determine how it might be developed into an effective
chemopreventive agent."
Flavonoids
in Fruit, and Veggies Might Fight Prostate Cancer
Prostate
cancer patients who, before their diagnosis, routinely consumed hefty helpings
of the flavonoid compounds found in plant-based foods and drinks may be at
lower risk for the most aggressive form of the disease, new research suggests.
But
the research has significant limitations, the study authors noted, so it's too
soon to say that a plant-based diet protects against prostate cancer.
Flavonoids
are found in vegetables and fruits, as well as in tea, wine, juices and cocoa.
Researchers have long theorized that these particular antioxidants may help
reduce cancer risk by fighting inflammation, oxidation, cell death and tumor
cell growth.
The
new study did not assess the ability of flavonoids to prevent the onset of
cancer as a whole. But the investigation, involving about 1,900 patients newly
diagnosed with prostate cancer, found that those whose diets included the
highest amount of flavonoids were 25 percent less likely to have been diagnosed
with the fastest-moving and harshest form of the disease compared to those who
had been taking in the fewest flavonoids.
"We
compared men with low-aggressive disease to high aggressive," said study
lead author Susan Steck, associate professor at the University of South
Carolina's Arnold School of Public Health. "We did not have a healthy
comparison group. So while we think that consuming more fruits and vegetables
will improve the odds of not getting prostate cancer altogether, we can't say
that based on our study results."
"But
what we are seeing here is the impact of flavonoids on reducing the risk for
aggressive prostate cancer," she added. "They may not affect your
risk for getting the cancer, but it may mitigate against the kind of cancer you
would get."
The
authors looked at self-reported dietary habits already in place at the time of
diagnosis among their patient pool, which included 920 black men and 977 white
men. No dietary intervention was imposed after diagnosis.
All
the men had been enrolled in the North Carolina-Louisiana Prostate Cancer
Project.
The
new study found that smokers and men younger than 65 appeared to receive the
most protective benefit from fruit and vegetable consumption.
The
authors identified green and black tea, as well as orange and grapefruit juice,
as the prime sources of flavonoids consumed by study participants.
Strawberries, onions, cooked greens, kale and broccoli also were popular
flavonoid-rich foods.
No
single class of plant-based food was linked on its own to the observed
protective effect, leading the team to conclude that the benefit was rooted in
a dietary mix of flavonoids.
Dr.
Lionel Banez, assistant professor of urologic surgery at Duke University
Medical Center in Durham, N.C., said the study design makes it hard to read
much into the findings.
It
is "difficult to be confident about the conclusions," he said, given
that the current study was a backward look at patients' recollections of their
pre-diagnosis diets.
Banez
suggested that the findings of a flavonoid benefit would be more reliable if
they had stemmed from a highly controlled study of risk levels among patients
who were proactively placed on a specific dietary plan, and then tracked for
the future onset of cancer.
"These
results are not enough to warrant recommending plant-based diets as regimens to
treat prostate cancer or prevent aggressive prostate cancer," he said.
Prostate
cancer patients who, before their diagnosis, routinely consumed hefty helpings
of the flavonoid compounds found in plant-based foods and drinks may be at
lower risk for the most aggressive form of the disease, new research suggests.
But
the research has significant limitations, the study authors noted, so it's too
soon to say that a plant-based diet protects against prostate cancer.
Flavonoids
are found in vegetables and fruits, as well as in tea, wine, juices and cocoa.
Researchers have long theorized that these particular antioxidants may help
reduce cancer risk by fighting inflammation, oxidation, cell death and tumor
cell growth.
The
new study did not assess the ability of flavonoids to prevent the onset of
cancer as a whole. But the investigation, involving about 1,900 patients newly
diagnosed with prostate cancer, found that those whose diets included the
highest amount of flavonoids were 25 percent less likely to have been diagnosed
with the fastest-moving and harshest form of the disease compared to those who
had been taking in the fewest flavonoids.
"We
compared men with low-aggressive disease to high aggressive," said study
lead author Susan Steck, associate professor at the University of South
Carolina's Arnold School of Public Health. "We did not have a healthy
comparison group. So while we think that consuming more fruits and vegetables
will improve the odds of not getting prostate cancer altogether, we can't say
that based on our study results."
"But
what we are seeing here is the impact of flavonoids on reducing the risk for
aggressive prostate cancer," she added. "They may not affect your
risk for getting the cancer, but it may mitigate against the kind of cancer you
would get."
The
authors looked at self-reported dietary habits already in place at the time of
diagnosis among their patient pool, which included 920 black men and 977 white
men. No dietary intervention was imposed after diagnosis.
All
the men had been enrolled in the North Carolina-Louisiana Prostate Cancer
Project.
The
new study found that smokers and men younger than 65 appeared to receive the
most protective benefit from fruit and vegetable consumption.
The
authors identified green and black tea, as well as orange and grapefruit juice,
as the prime sources of flavonoids consumed by study participants.
Strawberries, onions, cooked greens, kale and broccoli also were popular
flavonoid-rich foods.
No
single class of plant-based food was linked on its own to the observed
protective effect, leading the team to conclude that the benefit was rooted in
a dietary mix of flavonoids.
Dr.
Lionel Banez, assistant professor of urologic surgery at Duke University
Medical Center in Durham, N.C., said the study design makes it hard to read
much into the findings.
It
is "difficult to be confident about the conclusions," he said, given
that the current study was a backward look at patients' recollections of their
pre-diagnosis diets.
Banez
suggested that the findings of a flavonoid benefit would be more reliable if
they had stemmed from a highly controlled study of risk levels among patients
who were proactively placed on a specific dietary plan, and then tracked for
the future onset of cancer.
"These
results are not enough to warrant recommending plant-based diets as regimens to
treat prostate cancer or prevent aggressive prostate cancer," he said.
Fruit and vegetable intake and head and neck
cancer
A
new study among AARP members shows that just one additional serving of fruit
and vegetables per day may lower your risk of head and neck cancer, but the
data suggest that you may not want to stop at just one, according to
researchers from the National Cancer Institute.
A
large prospective study of 500,000 men and women aged 50 and older has found
that those who ate more fruit and vegetables had a reduced risk of head and
neck cancer. Head and neck cancer is the sixth leading cause of cancer-related
mortality worldwide, resulting in more than 350,000 deaths annually.
"Identifying
protective factors for head and neck cancer is particularly important as it has
a high mortality rate," said Neal Freedman, Ph.D., cancer prevention
fellow at the National Cancer Institute.
At
the beginning of the study, participants reported their typical dietary habits
on a food frequency questionnaire. Freedman and his colleagues followed
participants for five years and recorded all diagnoses of head and neck cancer
cases during this time.
In
their findings, the researchers report that participants who ate six servings
of fruit and vegetables per day per 1000 calories had 29 percent less risk for
head and neck cancer than did participants who consumed one and a half servings
per 1000 calories per day. Typically, adults consume approximately 2000
calories per day. One serving equals approximately one medium sized fresh
fruit, one half cup of cut fruit, six ounces fruit juice, one cup leafy
vegetables, or one half cup of other vegetables.
"Increasing
consumption by just one serving of fruit or vegetables per 1000 calories per
day was associated with a six percent reduction in head and neck cancer
risk," Freedman said.
According
to Freedman, people who ate a lot of fruit also tended to eat a lot of
vegetables, and vice versa. To measure these two types of foods independently,
the researchers included both fruit and vegetable intake in the statistical
models, a common statistical approach. This allowed them to compare
participants with different levels of fruit consumption while holding constant
the level of vegetable intake and vice versa. When examining fruit and vegetable
intake simultaneously, the protective association with vegetables seemed to be
stronger than the association with fruits.
"Although
we cannot absolutely rule out a cancer preventive role for other lifestyle
factors that go along with eating more fruits and vegetables, our results are
consistent with those from previous studies," Freedman said. "Our
study suggests that fruit and vegetable consumption may protect against head
and neck cancer and adds support to current dietary recommendations to increase
fruit and vegetable consumption."
A
new study among AARP members shows that just one additional serving of fruit
and vegetables per day may lower your risk of head and neck cancer, but the
data suggest that you may not want to stop at just one, according to
researchers from the National Cancer Institute.
A
large prospective study of 500,000 men and women aged 50 and older has found
that those who ate more fruit and vegetables had a reduced risk of head and
neck cancer. Head and neck cancer is the sixth leading cause of cancer-related
mortality worldwide, resulting in more than 350,000 deaths annually.
"Identifying
protective factors for head and neck cancer is particularly important as it has
a high mortality rate," said Neal Freedman, Ph.D., cancer prevention
fellow at the National Cancer Institute.
At
the beginning of the study, participants reported their typical dietary habits
on a food frequency questionnaire. Freedman and his colleagues followed
participants for five years and recorded all diagnoses of head and neck cancer
cases during this time.
In
their findings, the researchers report that participants who ate six servings
of fruit and vegetables per day per 1000 calories had 29 percent less risk for
head and neck cancer than did participants who consumed one and a half servings
per 1000 calories per day. Typically, adults consume approximately 2000
calories per day. One serving equals approximately one medium sized fresh
fruit, one half cup of cut fruit, six ounces fruit juice, one cup leafy
vegetables, or one half cup of other vegetables.
"Increasing
consumption by just one serving of fruit or vegetables per 1000 calories per
day was associated with a six percent reduction in head and neck cancer
risk," Freedman said.
According
to Freedman, people who ate a lot of fruit also tended to eat a lot of
vegetables, and vice versa. To measure these two types of foods independently,
the researchers included both fruit and vegetable intake in the statistical
models, a common statistical approach. This allowed them to compare
participants with different levels of fruit consumption while holding constant
the level of vegetable intake and vice versa. When examining fruit and vegetable
intake simultaneously, the protective association with vegetables seemed to be
stronger than the association with fruits.
"Although
we cannot absolutely rule out a cancer preventive role for other lifestyle
factors that go along with eating more fruits and vegetables, our results are
consistent with those from previous studies," Freedman said. "Our
study suggests that fruit and vegetable consumption may protect against head
and neck cancer and adds support to current dietary recommendations to increase
fruit and vegetable consumption."
Flavonols and pancreatic cancer risk
A
study of food consumption in 183,518 residents of California and Hawaii has
found that a diet high in flavonols might help reduce pancreatic cancer risk,
especially in smokers. These compounds are generally ubiquitous in plant-based
foods, but are found in highest concentrations in onions, apples, berries, kale
and broccoli.
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, according to
a research team led by Laurence Kolonel, M.D., Ph.D., at the Cancer Research
Center of Hawaii.
Smokers
gained the most benefit. Those who ate the most flavonols reduced their risk of
developing pancreatic cancer by 59 percent, compared to those who ate the
least, says the study’s lead author, Ute Nöthlings, DrPH, who conducted the
study as a postdoctoral fellow in Hawaii and is now a researcher at the German
Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbruecke.
‘The
effect was largest in smokers, presumably because they are at increased
pancreatic cancer risk already," said Nöthlings. Smoking is the only
established risk factor for pancreatic cancer, and "short of stopping
tobacco use, it has been difficult to consistently show lifestyle factors that
might help protect against this deadly cancer," she says.
As
part of a larger research project known as The Multiethnic Cohort Study,
Kolonel and Nöthlings followed the participants for an average of eight years
after they filled out a comprehensive food questionnaire.
Although
Nöthlings says the study has a large statistical power because of the large
number of pancreatic cancer cases (529) that occurred in the study population,
she says that this one study cannot firmly answer the question of whether
flavonols can prevent development of pancreatic cancer. "Further
epidemiological studies in other populations and geographic regions are needed
to confirm our findings," she said.
The
study also is the first to examine prospectively specific classes of flavonols
and pancreatic cancer risk.
The
researchers looked at consumption of three flavonols: quercetin, which is most
abundant in onions and apples; kaempferol, found in spinach and some cabbages;
and myricetin, found mostly in red onions and berries.
Of
the three individual flavonols, kaempferol was associated with the largest risk
reduction (22 percent) across all participants. When the researchers divided
intake into quartiles, and then compared highest intake to lowest, all the
three classes of flavonols were associated with a significant trend toward
reduced pancreatic cancer risk in current smokers, but not in never or former
smokers. The interaction with smoking status was statistically significant for
total flavonols, quercetin and kaempferol.
The
researchers say their study did not examine the biological mechanisms by which
these flavonols could exert a protective effect against pancreatic cancer.
"But anti-carcinogenic effects of flavonoids in general have been
attributed to the ability of these constituents to inhibit cell cycle, cell
proliferation and oxidative stress, and to induce detoxification enzymes and
apoptosis," Nöthlings said.
Fruit and vegetable intake is associated with lower risk of
breast cancer
There is no association between
total fruit and vegetable intake and risk of overall breast cancer, but
vegetable consumption is associated with a lower risk of estrogen
receptor-negative (ER-) breast cancer, according to a study published January
24, 2013 in the Journal of the National
Cancer Institute.
The intake of fruits and vegetables
has been hypothesized to lower breast cancer risk, however the existing
evidence is inconclusive. There are many subtypes of breast cancer including
ER- and ER positive (ER+) tumors and each may have distinct etiologies. Since
ER- tumors, which have lower survival rates and are less dependent on estrogen
levels than ER+ tumors, account for only 15-20% of breast cancers, large pooled
analyses are needed to determine the suspected link to lower ER- breast cancer
risk and the consumption of fruits and vegetables.
In order to determine if there is a
link between the lowered risk of ER- breast cancers and the intake of fruits
and vegetables, Seungyoun Jung, Sc.D., formerly from the Department of
Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health, and currently at the Channing
Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and colleagues
analyzed data from 20 cohort studies of women who were followed for a maximum
of 11-20 years. They investigated the association of high compared to low
intake of fruit and vegetables and risk of developing breast cancer in each
study and then combined the study-specific estimates to generate summary
estimates for all studies combined.
The researchers found that total
fruit and vegetable intake was statistically significantly linked to a lower
risk of ER- breast cancer, but not with risk of overall breast cancer or risk
of ER+ breast tumors. The results showed that the lower risk was mostly
associated with higher vegetable consumption. "These findings support the
value of examining etiologic factors in relation to breast cancer characterized
by hormone receptor status in large pooled analyses because modest associations
with less common breast cancer subtypes may have been missed in smaller
studies," the authors write.
In an accompanying editorial,
Cynthia A. Thomson, Ph.D., and Patricia A. Thompson, Ph.D., both of the
University of Arizona Cancer Center, write that the findings of the study
support the emphasis on greater intake for vegetables (and to a lesser extent
fruit) to lower the risk of ER- breast cancer. However, they also write that,
"interpretation of these findings may also be challenged by the known
effects of other potential confounders, including the aggregation of health
behaviors."
A
study of food consumption in 183,518 residents of California and Hawaii has
found that a diet high in flavonols might help reduce pancreatic cancer risk,
especially in smokers. These compounds are generally ubiquitous in plant-based
foods, but are found in highest concentrations in onions, apples, berries, kale
and broccoli.
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, according to
a research team led by Laurence Kolonel, M.D., Ph.D., at the Cancer Research
Center of Hawaii.
Smokers
gained the most benefit. Those who ate the most flavonols reduced their risk of
developing pancreatic cancer by 59 percent, compared to those who ate the
least, says the study’s lead author, Ute Nöthlings, DrPH, who conducted the
study as a postdoctoral fellow in Hawaii and is now a researcher at the German
Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbruecke.
‘The
effect was largest in smokers, presumably because they are at increased
pancreatic cancer risk already," said Nöthlings. Smoking is the only
established risk factor for pancreatic cancer, and "short of stopping
tobacco use, it has been difficult to consistently show lifestyle factors that
might help protect against this deadly cancer," she says.
As
part of a larger research project known as The Multiethnic Cohort Study,
Kolonel and Nöthlings followed the participants for an average of eight years
after they filled out a comprehensive food questionnaire.
Although
Nöthlings says the study has a large statistical power because of the large
number of pancreatic cancer cases (529) that occurred in the study population,
she says that this one study cannot firmly answer the question of whether
flavonols can prevent development of pancreatic cancer. "Further
epidemiological studies in other populations and geographic regions are needed
to confirm our findings," she said.
The
study also is the first to examine prospectively specific classes of flavonols
and pancreatic cancer risk.
The
researchers looked at consumption of three flavonols: quercetin, which is most
abundant in onions and apples; kaempferol, found in spinach and some cabbages;
and myricetin, found mostly in red onions and berries.
Of
the three individual flavonols, kaempferol was associated with the largest risk
reduction (22 percent) across all participants. When the researchers divided
intake into quartiles, and then compared highest intake to lowest, all the
three classes of flavonols were associated with a significant trend toward
reduced pancreatic cancer risk in current smokers, but not in never or former
smokers. The interaction with smoking status was statistically significant for
total flavonols, quercetin and kaempferol.
The
researchers say their study did not examine the biological mechanisms by which
these flavonols could exert a protective effect against pancreatic cancer.
"But anti-carcinogenic effects of flavonoids in general have been
attributed to the ability of these constituents to inhibit cell cycle, cell
proliferation and oxidative stress, and to induce detoxification enzymes and
apoptosis," Nöthlings said.
Fruit and vegetable intake is associated with lower risk of
breast cancer
There is no association between
total fruit and vegetable intake and risk of overall breast cancer, but
vegetable consumption is associated with a lower risk of estrogen
receptor-negative (ER-) breast cancer, according to a study published January
24, 2013 in the Journal of the National
Cancer Institute.
The intake of fruits and vegetables
has been hypothesized to lower breast cancer risk, however the existing
evidence is inconclusive. There are many subtypes of breast cancer including
ER- and ER positive (ER+) tumors and each may have distinct etiologies. Since
ER- tumors, which have lower survival rates and are less dependent on estrogen
levels than ER+ tumors, account for only 15-20% of breast cancers, large pooled
analyses are needed to determine the suspected link to lower ER- breast cancer
risk and the consumption of fruits and vegetables.
In order to determine if there is a
link between the lowered risk of ER- breast cancers and the intake of fruits
and vegetables, Seungyoun Jung, Sc.D., formerly from the Department of
Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health, and currently at the Channing
Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and colleagues
analyzed data from 20 cohort studies of women who were followed for a maximum
of 11-20 years. They investigated the association of high compared to low
intake of fruit and vegetables and risk of developing breast cancer in each
study and then combined the study-specific estimates to generate summary
estimates for all studies combined.
The researchers found that total
fruit and vegetable intake was statistically significantly linked to a lower
risk of ER- breast cancer, but not with risk of overall breast cancer or risk
of ER+ breast tumors. The results showed that the lower risk was mostly
associated with higher vegetable consumption. "These findings support the
value of examining etiologic factors in relation to breast cancer characterized
by hormone receptor status in large pooled analyses because modest associations
with less common breast cancer subtypes may have been missed in smaller
studies," the authors write.
In an accompanying editorial,
Cynthia A. Thomson, Ph.D., and Patricia A. Thompson, Ph.D., both of the
University of Arizona Cancer Center, write that the findings of the study
support the emphasis on greater intake for vegetables (and to a lesser extent
fruit) to lower the risk of ER- breast cancer. However, they also write that,
"interpretation of these findings may also be challenged by the known
effects of other potential confounders, including the aggregation of health
behaviors."
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