Dr KK Aggarwal
Padma Shri and Dr B C Roy National Awardee
President, Heart Care Foundation of India
Vegetables and fruits help lower your chances of getting head, neck, breast, ovarian and pancreatic cancers. Even one additional serving of vegetables or fruits could help lower the risk of head and neck cancer. The more fruits and vegetables you can consume, the better.
Those who eat six servings of fruits and vegetables per 1,000 calories have a 29% decreased risk relative to those who have 1.5 servings. In the study, after adjusting the data to account for smoking and alcohol use – known head and neck cancer risk factors – the researches found that those who consumed the most fruits and vegetables had the lowest risk for head and neck cancers. Vegetables appeared to offer more cancer prevention than fruits alone did. Adding just one serving of fruit or vegetables per each 1000 calories consumed daily resulted in a 6% reduction of risk.
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| Vegetables & Fruits Lower Chances of Getting Some Cancers |
In another study, broccoli and soy protein were found to protect against the more aggressive breast and ovarian cancers. When consumed together, digesting broccoli and soy forms a compound called di-indolylmethane (DIM). In lab experiments, the researchers found that DIM could affect the motility of breast and ovarian cancer cells, which could help keep cancers from spreading. Soy, acts like estrogen and is a nutritious, healthy food, and should be eaten in moderation.
Yet another study compared intake of flavonols to their risk of pancreatic cancer. Flavonols are protective compounds found in fruits and vegetables, such as onions, apples, berries, kale and broccoli. Those who had the highest consumption of flavonols reduced their risk of pancreatic cancer by 23%. The benefit was even greater for people who smoked. Smokers with high levels of flavonols reduced their risk of pancreatic cancer by 59%.
