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Eat fruits, veggies to ward off cancer

Eating plenty of fruits and a regular diet rich in vegetables can offer protection from a host of cancers, three new studies suggest.

The studies presented at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research in Los Angeles show that the fruits and vegetables that offer health benefits include apples, berries, kale, broccoli, onions, spinach and some cabbages.

The first study evaluated 183,518 men and women and found a diet high in flavonol-rich apples, berries, kale, and broccoli can help cut the risk of pancreatic cancer, especially in smokers. Flavonol is a type of antioxidant.

Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest of all cancers, killing 95 percent of victims within five years of diagnosis.

Another study of 500,000 people aged 50 and above shows that eating an additional two servings a day of fruit and vegetables can reduce the risk of developing head and neck cancers.

One serving equals approximately one medium-sized fresh fruit, 1/2 cup of cut fruit, 6 ounces of fruit juice, 1 cup of leafy vegetables, or 1/2 cup of other vegetables.

The third study suggests that chemicals in cruciferous vegetables and soy reduce production of two proteins necessary for the spread of breast and ovarian cancers, reported the online edition of health magazine WebMD.

While the first study was conducted by Ute Nothlings, DrPH, a postdoctoral fellow at the Cancer Research Center of Hawaii in Honolulu, the second study was conducted by Neal Freedman and other researchers at National Cancer Institute.

The third study was done by Erin Hsu, a molecular toxicologist at the University of California, and team.