While a multitude of studies show that eating a balanced diet replete with fruits and vegetables can stave off many diseases including cancer, a new report takes these findings one step further.

Certain fruits and vegetables - particularly carrots - may prevent specific types of cancer, Italian researchers reported in the May issue of the journal Epidemiology.

Overall, the study of 4,522 people with breast, colon or rectal cancer and 5,155 hospital patients without cancer found that vegetables conferred more protection against all types of cancer than fruits. Raw carrots offered the greatest amount of protection against all three cancers.

Vegetables are higher than fruits in cancer-fighting vitamins and nutrients such as vitamin C, vitamin B6 and folic acid, explained the researchers. In addition, many Italians consume their raw vegetables with vegetable oil, which may help cut risk for breast and colorectal cancers, the researchers wrote.

But American researchers were quick to point out that there is no such thing as a “magic vegetable.” In the study, high consumption of many types of raw vegetables conferred a 26 percent reduced risk for colon cancer, a 16 percent risk reduction for rectal cancer and a 15 percent reduction in breast cancer risk, compared with people who ate fewer vegetable servings. And peas, beans, onions, spinach, zucchini, eggplant and peppers were each individually found to offer protection against colon and rectal cancer, but not breast cancer.

To arrive at their findings, participants filled out questionnaires designed to assess their consumption of 26 types of fruits and vegetables during the two years before cancer diagnosis or hospital admission (for the control subjects).

“The new findings are consistent with the general literature on fruits and vegetables,” said Dr. Michael Thun, who heads epidemiological research for the American Cancer Society (ACS) in Atlanta.

But “nobody is going to find a 'magic vegetable' that prevents you from eating all others,” he cautioned. “It's your pattern of eating that counts, not one particular food.” A healthy diet should includes five or more servings of fruits and vegetables each day, he noted. People should also consume bread, cereals and grains several times a day, restrict the amount of fat in their diet, maintain a healthy body weight and exercise regularly, Thun advised.

Thun's colleague, Colleen Doyle, the director of nutrition and physical activity at the ACS, agreed:

“Again, we are seeing the protective effects of fruits and vegetables but we don't know what it is about fruits and vegetables that is protective,” she pointed out. “So our best recommendation is to consume a wide variety of fruits and vegetables,” she said. “Carrots are great, but so is broccoli and so are tomatoes,” she added.

Denise Mann c.1998 Medical Tribune News Service

The University of California, Berkeley Wellness Letter, Feb 1995

Scientists argue about many issues, but everybody agrees that increasing your intake of fruits and vegetables can help prevent heart disease, cancer, and other chronic diseases. Yet surveys show that few Americans eat even the recommended minimum--five daily servings of fruits and vegetables.

A small study undertaken recently by a research team at the University of Minnesota showed that, with guidance, a group of volunteers increased their average intake from 3.6 servings to 9.4 a day. Furthermore, they liked their new eating habits and planned to stick with them. This is one "diet" where you can add interesting foods instead of giving them up.

Seven tips for upping your intake:

1. Start your day with at least two fruits, in addition to whole-grain bread, cereal, or some other form of grain. Have citrus as fruit or juice, and maybe a banana or some canteloupe, mango, or apple. Keep prunes and raisins on hand for variety.

2. When planning a meal, think of the vegetables and starches as a main dish instead of the poultry or meat. If you would ordinarily serve meat, potatoes or rice, and a green vegetable, add a salad to the menu or another cooked vegetable and cut down on the meat.

3. Don't forget cooked fruits. If you have an oversupply of apples, peaches, or pears, make a fruit compote, adding some apple juice and cinnamon for flavor, and a little sugar or honey to taste. Combine with low-fat or nonfat yogurt, or use as a topping for a frozen dessert or breakfast cereal.

4. Feed your snack-attack with fruits and veggies, raw or cooked. Try the old frozen banana trick--it's good! Treat brocoli, carrots, sweet peppers, and cherry tomatoes as household staples. Buy or make a nonfat dip to enhance them as snacks. Dried fruits make nutritious snacks, too--though high in calories.

5. Make things easy on yourself. Keep canned kidney beans, chick peas, and other legumes on hand. They taste as good as from-scratch, and you can rinse them to get rid of extra sodium. Add to salads, pasta sauces, and stews. Chick peas combined with a salsa-and-yogurt (low-fat) dressing make a tasty and nutritious lunch when you're in a hurry or packing a picnic. Frozen vegetables are very worthwhile, too, and often as nutritious as fresh. Another big convenience are the peeled baby carrots and other eat-from-the-package produce now sold in most supermarkets.

6. Don't forget the crucifers. This family of vegetables, which includes broccoli, cabbage, kale, brussel sprouts, and cauliflower, is not only high in vitamins and minerals but contains other anticancer substances as well. Try precut, prewashed cabbage for a homemade slaw, or steam it for a side dish. Add these vegetables to soups--puree them if you like. Halve cooked brussels sprouts or cauliflower florets and add them to a salad. Try marinating crisp-tender broccoli in a little soy sauce or other marinade, and then broil or add to the fare on the grill. Kale may look puzzling, but it is easily washed and steamed as a side dish.

7. Be on the lookout for ways to add vegetables and fruits to a recipe. Tomatoes, topped with bread crumbs and a little cheese, can be baked along with fish. Leftover veggies make a great topping for a baked potato (sweet or white). Grate a carrot into tuna salad, and add other cooked vegetables, too. Try sliced oranges or grapefruit in a green salad, especially in the winter when good tomatoes are scarce.

COPYRIGHT 1995 Health Letter Associates