Fruit and vegetables

Dr Lesley Walker, Director of Cancer Information for Cancer Research UK, says:

"The effect of fruit and vegetables on cancer risk is an extremely complex area of research requiring rigorous methods. It's important to accurately record people's food intake over a period of time and to separate the effect of fruit and vegetables from other dietary factors.

"It's also important to look at different types of cancer separately as research suggests that diet has different effects on different types of the disease.

"Cancer Research UK is taking part in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study. This long-term project, involving half a million people across Europe, requires participants to keep food diaries, give blood and urine samples and give detailed medical histories.

"Variations in dietary habits, from North Europeans to the Mediterranean, ensures there are many distinct groups from which reliable comparisons can be made. This approach means we can be confident the data will be as accurate as possible and it is already challenging data from large studies like this one. We expect many more interesting findings to emerge over the next five years and beyond.

"In the meantime, it is crucial to look at the weight of evidence to date, which shows that a diet rich in fruit and vegetables has protective benefits for some common cancers, such as bowel cancer. The overall health benefits of such a diet are undeniable.

"Cancer Research UK's advice remains unchanged - to help reduce the risk of cancer, aim to eat a balanced diet that is low in fat and red meat, particularly processed meat, and rich in fruit, vegetables, starchy foods and fibre."

2 November 2004