Fruit and veg no magic bullet

An international study of almost half a million people has shown that eating a diet high in fruit and vegetables may not be that beneficial against cancer.

The study, published today in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, looked at the diets of 478,000 men and women in 10 western European countries over more than eight years and found those who ate a lot of fruit and vegetables did not have a significantly reduced likelihood of getting cancer.

The journal publishes peer-reviewed articles from around the world and is regarded as a source for the most up-to-date news and information on cancer research.

The findings challenge the long-held belief promoted by the World Health Organisation and health agencies around the world that a diet high in fruit and vegetables can protect against cancer.

The authors warned that their study pointed to a modest association between a high intake of fruits and vegetables and a reduced cancer risk, but said the link was weak.

Cancer experts urged people not to disregard the need to eat fruit and vegetables, saying a high intake of fruit and vegetables was still beneficial against heart disease, and some cancers, such as bowel and breast, were linked to obesity.

"We are still not clear why fresh fruits and vegetables would reduce cancer but we do know that some cancers are related to obesity, so regardless of these findings, people should be staying within a normal weight range," the chief executive of the Cancer Council of Australia, Ian Olver, said.

Education and research officer with the Cancer Council of WA Terry Slevin said the findings came as no surprise but should not be taken as a reason to ditch long-standing health advice to eat five vegetables and two fruits every day.

Mr Slevin said the study looked at all forms of cancer, including those common cancers where there was no known measureable beneficial effect of eating more fruit and vegetables, such as breast and prostate cancer.

Bruce Armstrong, a professor of public health at the University of Sydney, said the study, which did not focus on any particular cancer, masked the results for some varieties, which were linked to diet. "Fruit and vegetables definitely do have a protective effect against some cancers. The evidence for bowel and oesophageal cancers remain strong, so we have not been giving people the wrong message," he said.

Executive officer for Vegetables WA Jim Turley said his organisation had completed a research project two years ago that looked at hundreds of studies that demonstrated the value of vegetables in protecting against cancer.