Produce May Not Reduce Colon Cancer Risk

Eating a lot of fruits and vegetables may not help reduce colon cancer risk, a U.S. review of 14 studies that included 756,217 men and women found.

Earlier studies have examined the relationship between colon cancer and produce intake, but the results have been inconsistent. Anita Koushik, formerly of the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, analyzed the association between fruit and vegetable intake and colon cancer risk by pooling the results of 14 studies that tracked study participants for 6 to 20 years.

The review, published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, found that although fruit and vegetable intake was not strongly associated with lower colon cancer risk, there may be a lower risk of cancer of the distal colon — the left-hand side of the colon — among those who consumed the largest amounts of fruits and vegetables.