Not only is the quantity of fruit eaten effective in preventing cancer, in the case of lung cancer, the variety of fruits eaten is also vital.
A new study from the European EPIC carried out by researchers in 10 countries indicate that eating a variety of fruit daily can reduce the risk of lung cancer by up to 23 percent.
“Aside from the amount consumed, it's also important to take into account the variety,” said María José Sánchez Pérez, co-author of the study and director of the Granada Cancer Registry at the Andalusian School of Public Health. “A varied diet reduces the risk of developing this cancer, above all in smokers.”
Perez stresses that a significant link was found only in smokers. The risk of developing lung cancer in smokers falls by some 3 percent for every two additional units of different kinds of fruits and vegetables in the diet, she said.
Of course, the main deterrent against lung cancer is to reduce or omit tobacco consumption, despite the encouraging results of this study.
Fruit and vegetable consumption was shown only to affect the development of a specific type of lung cancer: epidermoid carcinoma.
