Is Vegetable and Fruit Consumption Protective Against Cancers and Cardiovascular Disease?
Historically, the answer to this question has been ‘Yes’ with the outstanding question being to what degree. In the early 1980s, Doll and Peto (The Causes of Cancer, 1981, Oxford: University Press) estimated that approximately 35% of cancers were attributable to diet (excluding alcohol usage). A major report endorsed by the American Cancer Society concurred with this result, concluding that 20-40$ of cancers are directly related to dietary choices. (World Cancer Research Fund, Food, Nutrition and the Prevention of Cancer: A Global Perspective, London 1997). However, some authorities have been more cautious concerning the relationship between diet and cancer, suggesting that reduction in cancer rates of about 30% might be possible over 20 years through a combination of primary prevention factors (including diet, obesity and physical activity) (Adami et al, European Journal of Cancer, 2001, Vol. 37 (Suppl 8). The most recent research has endorsed the more cautionary approach, especially
