Smokers increase colon cancer risk by eating fruit, vegetables

THE HAGUE: Smokers may increase their chances of contracting colon cancer by eating fruit and vegetables, according to a new Europe-wide scientific study released on Wednesday.
    A high intake of fruit and vegetables appeared to reduce the risk among non-smokers but seemed to have the reverse effect on smokers, the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) said.
    “People who eat 600 grams or more vegetables and fruit a day appear to have a 20 to 25 per cent lower chance of developing colon cancer than those who eat 220 grams or less,” researchers said. “On the contrary, such consumption appears to increase the chances of colon cancer in smokers.”
    The study questioned about five lakh people in 10 European countries about their eating and smoking habits and studied them for 8.5 years.
    The article, published in the American Journal for Clinical Nutrition, said that substances within vegetables and fruits may even increase the carcinogenic potential of tobacco smoke.
    “This study is the first to examine the effects of fruit and vegetable consumption while making a distinction between smokers and non-smokers,” said RIVM official Hans Verhagen. AFP

 

 

Click Here to Subscribe For FREE SMS Alerts on Disaster Awareness