Study: Fruit and veggie-filled diet void of colon cancer protection

From wire reports

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Eating fruits and veggies is definitely good for you, researchers say, but does little to protect people from colon and rectal cancer.

The finding, in a study released Wednesday, counters 20 years of research that has found some evidence of colorectal cancer protection from a diet infused with fruits and vegetables.

"When I reviewed the evidence (from past studies), I found it was not as positive as we had all thought," said lead researcher, Karin Michels, of the Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts. Her findings appear in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

Using data on more than 136,000 health professionals who were repeatedly interviewed over 16 years, Michels and others found that eating fruits and vegetables had virtually no effect on the incidence of colon and rectal cancer.

Instead, she found that people who ate lots of fruits and vegetables were just as likely to get colon or rectal cancer as anybody else.

Michels said a close look at the earlier studies revealed some gaps in the scientific conclusion that there is a healthy diet protection against colon or rectal cancer.

"If you look carefully, most of them didn't find much (protection)," she said. The studies that did find some benefit, Michels said, were linked to only one type of food, such as garlic.

Other experts were quick to denounce the findings, based on two long-term, ongoing studies -- the 88,000-member Nurses Health Study and the 47,000-man Health Professionals' Follow-Up Study.

"It would be a mistake to interpret these results as anything but what they are: a single set of findings on an important topic that's attracting more and more scientific attention each day," Dr. John Potter, head of the Cancer Prevention Research Program at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, Washington.

Michels was quick to point out her study should not be interpreted as encouraging people to steer clear of healthy eating.

"The most important thing I want to get out is they should eat a diet rich in fruits and vegetables in spite of all these findings," Michels said.

"Even though we couldn't find an association with colorectal cancer, fruits and vegetables definitely protect for other important diseases such as cardiovascular disease, stroke, diabetes and potentially other cancers. These are some of the best foods we can eat -- there is no doubt about it."

Researchers also said cancer protection outcomes in other countries, where less meat is consumed, may be different. A large European diet and cancer study is now underway, Michels said.

The Associated Press & Reuters contributed to this report.

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Conference examines link between cancer and diet
April 19, 1999

National Cancer Institute - Colon and Rectum Cancer
Colon Cancer Alliance

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