Fruit or vegetables for stomach cancer prevention?

The role of frequent intake of fruits and vegetables to prevent cancer continues to be a matter of debate. The current study adds to the age-old thinking that fruits and vegetables are good for you!

Dr. Larsson and colleagues from Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden studied prospectively this question in over 8000 men and women. They hypothesized that fruit and vegetable intake protects against stomach cancer and published their findings in the journal Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers and Prev (October 2006).

They found that vegetable consumption lowered the risk of gastric cancer, whereas fruit intake was not helpful in this regard. Among vegetables, green leafy vegetables and root vegetables lowered the risk of gastric cancer significantly.

I would like to point out that there are studies that have demonstrated fruit intake is better for cancer prevention. Until more data is available, we should have both as part of our daily diet.

How many servings of fruits and vegetables do you eat everyday? Do you just like the taste or eat them for health reasons?