Reduce your risk of cancer: a proper diet may be the key.

• Author: Hattner, Jo Ann

VEGETABLES and fruits are rich sources of vitamins, minerals, and fiber. They also generally are low in calories, fat, and sodium and have no cholesterol. The National Cancer Institute recommends that individuals eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables every day to help prevent cancer and other diseases. However, the average American eats 3.5 servings a day and, according to a study by the National Cancer Institute, just 23% of the population eat the five or more recommended servings. Furthermore, one in 10 Americans doesn't have any fruit, fruit juice, or vegetables on any given day, and one in three thinks that just one serving a day is all that is needed.

Numerous studies demonstrate that there are protective qualities in fruits and vegetables that help reduce the risk of cancer, emphasizing their importance in the diet. A review conducted by researchers at the University of California at Berkeley's School of Public Health and the National Cancer Institute of a large number of epidemiologic studies examining the diet-cancer link shows that eating more fruits and vegetables could cut the risk of getting certain cancers by half.

Stomach cancer has been shown to be related to fruit and vegetable intake. The Japan-Hawaii Cancer Study examined the diets of Hawaiian men of Japanese ancestry from 1965 to 1968. Eighteen years later, the diets were reviewed in relation to stomach cancers diagnosed in those years. It was found that consumption of all types of vegetables was protective against stomach cancers.

The risk of cervical cancer can be decreased by including fruits and vegetables in the diet. Researchers in four Latin American countries evaluated the diets of women with and without cervical cancer. Results showed that vitamin C and beta carotene--a precursor of vitamin A--as well as other carotenoids had a protective effect against the development of cervical cancer, Fruits and vegetables are excellent sources of vitamin A and C. The former is found in dark-green leafy vegetables and yellow-orange fruits and vegetables; the latter in citrus fruits, strawberries, and dark-green leafy vegetables. Fruits and vegetables that are high in vitamin C can be eaten in fresh or canned form, as it is oxidation--exposure to the air--that results in loss of that nutrient.

Vitamin A intake also appears to play a protective role in the development of breast cancer. The Nurses Health Study, which followed almost 90,000 women for an eight-year...