Eat Your Vegetables for Cancer Prevention

 

According to nutritionist Marion Nestle, about one-third of cancers may be caused at least in part by a combination of poor diet, inadequate activity, and excessive alcohol use (Food Politics, 2002). How is this related to your local Farmers' Market? It turns out that fruits and vegetables are important in cancer prevention, and organically-grown produce may be better at this than conventionally-raised plants.

 

"Food, Nutrition, Physical Activity, and the Prevention of Cancer: A Global Perspective" is a new document issued by the American Institute for Cancer Research and the World Cancer Research Fund. This document provides information on the preventability of many cancers by changes in diet, exercise patterns, and weight maintenance. This comprehensive (over 500 pages!) report was issued by a multinational panel of experts, and provides evidence-based information based on the analysis of more than 7000 studies.
Recommendation #4 discusses the role of plant foods in cancer prevention. The panel found that vegetables, fruits, and legumes are probably protective against multiple cancers types, including those of the mouth, esophagus, stomach, colon, lung, pancreas, and prostate. They recommend that each person eat at least 5 servings (14 ounces) of a variety of vegetables and fruits every day, and unrefined grains and legumes at every meal.

 

The panel's 10 basic recommendations for cancer prevention are:
1)     Be as lean as possible within the normal range of body weight.
2)     Be physically active as part of everyday life.
3)     Limit consumption of energy-dense foods. Avoid sugary drinks.
4)     Eat mostly foods of plant origin.
5)     Limit intake of red meat and avoid processed meat.
6)     Limit alcoholic drinks.
7)     Limit consumption of salt.
8)     Aim to meet nutritional needs through diet alone.
9)     Mothers to breastfeed; children to be breastfed.
10)  Cancer survivors should follow the recommendations for cancer prevention.

 

To view the full report, go to www.dietandcancerreport.org.
Vintners have long asserted that grapes grown under environmentally stressful conditions produce better-tasting wines. Organically-grown produce experiences more environmental stresses, like being bothered by insects, and this apparently causes the plants to produce more of the chemicals that act as antioxidants. These compounds are thought to be responsible for the cancer-fighting properties of fruits and vegetables. A new report, mentioned in last week's newsletter, confirms that organic produce contains more antioxidant chemicals than conventional produce (www.organic-center.org). As these compounds break down after harvest, fresher produce likely contains more of them as well.