Higher Intake of Fruits and Vegetables Decrease Risk for Bladder Cancer in Women

Higher Intake of Fruits and Vegetables Decrease Risk for Bladder Cancer in Women

Anton Bilchik MD wants you to know about a recent study that suggests a higher intake of fruits and vegetables can reduce a woman’s risk for developing bladder cancer.

The lead author, University of Hawaii Cancer Center Researcher Song-Yi Park, PhD, and her colleagues analyzed data as part of the Multiethnic Cohort Study, known as the MEC, established in 1993 to assess relationships between diet, lifestyle, genetics, and cancer risk. Park and her associates looked at MEC data gathered from thousands of older adults over a period of 12.5 years. Of the 185,885 participants Park assessed, 581 had invasive bladder cancer – 152 women and 429 men.

Park and her team of researchers then adjusted the data for variables related to cancer risk, such as age, and found that the female participants who ate the most fruits and vegetables had the lowest risk for bladder cancer. For example, the researchers found that the women consuming the greatest amount of yellow-orange vegetables were 52 percent less likely to suffer bladder cancer than are those women who eat very few of these vegetables. Research results also seem to suggest that those females with higher intakes of vitamins A, C, and E had the lowest risk for bladder cancer.

“Our study supports the fruit and vegetable recommendation for cancer prevention, said Park.The research results did not suggest an association between fruit and vegetable intake with decreased risk for bladder cancer in men, but Dr. Anton Bilchik still recommends a plant-based diet for men and women.