Does Fruit and Vegetable Intake Prevent Cancer?

Although many people believe that high intake of fruits and vegetables prevents cancer, the supporting evidence is weak. In this prospective observational study from 10 European countries, nearly 500,000 people with no cancer histories completed 12-month food-frequency questionnaires; during median follow-up of 9 years, 30,000 cancers were diagnosed.

Higher fruit and vegetable intake was associated with cancer risk that was statistically significantly lower, but small in magnitude. For example, each additional 200-g increase in daily intake conferred a 3% risk reduction. Cancer risk was 10% lower in the highest quintile of intake, compared with the lowest quintile. Interestingly, the apparent protective effect of fruits and vegetables was co…