Eating a variety of veggies and fruits can reduce the risk of lung cancer

Although the best way to cut down the risk is to quit smoking, eating a diverse mix of veggies may offer some protection.

"It is important to realize the risk reduction one can achieve by eating a greater variety of fruits and vegetables will be minor in relation to quitting smoking," stressed study leader Dr. Bas Bueno-de-Mesquita.

“Fruits and vegetables contain many different bioactive compounds and it makes sense to assume that it is important that you not only eat the recommended amounts, but also consume a rich mix … by consuming a large variety.”

Past studies have claimed that a variety of plants based foods can act as a shield against cancers including colorectal, gastric, breast, oral, and esophageal cancers.

Details of the study
The study looked at the data of 452,187 individuals who were a part of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition study.

The researchers used Diet diversity scores to quantify the variety in fruit and vegetable consumption in the study group.

They were further analyzed for their dietary habits and lifestyle, including occupation, medical history, tobacco use, and physical activity with the help of various questionnaires.

The total consumption of fruits and vegetables by the participants was divided into specific categories, such as leafy greens, cruciferous vegetables, fresh or canned fruits, or dried fruits.

However, foods like legumes (beans), potatoes, nuts and seeds, or olives were not included in the categories.

The participants were followed for nine years, during which 1,613 people were diagnosed with lung cancer.

The study findings
The participants who ate a wide variety of fruits and vegetables including deeply colored kale and spinach, berries and melons, cauliflower, and eggplant were at a 27 percent lower risk of developing lung cancer as compared to the others.

The risk of lung cancer decreased with increasing variety in vegetable subgroups (hazard ratio [HR], 0.77), though the association was restricted to current smokers (HR, 0.73), the researchers claim.

Amongst the current smokers, the risk of squamous cell carcinoma reduced with larger variety in fruit and vegetable products combined (HR/two products, 0.88), vegetable subgroups (HR/subgroup, 0.88), vegetable products (HR/two products, 0.87), and fruit products (HR/two products, 0.84).

The study was published in the journal 'Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention,' from the American Association for Cancer Research.