More Evidence Proving Vegetables Prevent Cancer

Even more evidence is coming out about the cancer fighting benefits of vegetables.

The most recent study took place in the United States. The study used half a million retired Americans to see how vegetables helped reduce the risk of developing cancer. The study is more evidence to support the eating enough vegetables theories.

The results of the study on American retirees showed that by increasing the intake of vegetables or fruit by just one serving more per day, decreased a person's risk of developing cancers in the neck and head.

The latest study follows numerous research reports that have showed evidence of the cancer fighting benefits of fruit and vegetables. One of the main factors in fighting cancer is diet. A person's lifestyle has a huge impact on their cancer risk. If a person smokes, gets little exercise or eats poorly their chance of cancer greatly increases. In fact it is currently thought that as many as two thirds of cancer cases are due to lifestyle factors.

Cancer expert, Dr. Alan Kristal from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center Seattle said, "It may not sound like news that vegetables protect from cancer, but there is actually some controversy in the literature. It is important that we do these large studies."

Each person that participated in the National Cancer Institute study was aged 50 and over. As part of the study each subject was questioned about what they eat and drink. When the questioning was complete participants were observed over a five year period and the development of neck and head cancers were recorded. Neck and head cancer is the world's sixth biggest cancer related cause of death.

The consumption of alcohol or tobacco was one of the biggest factors in the development of neck and head cancers. Subjects who consumed one extra daily serving of vegetable or fruit, bring the total daily servings up to six has as much as a 29 percent reduction in their risk of developing head or neck cancer.