Should You Still Eat Vegetables?

A recent study has been making bold headlines. The eating habits of over 478,000 European men and women were tracked over eight years.

What did they find?

Eating lots of fruits and vegetables doesn't significantly protect against cancer.

That sounds pretty straight forward. But let's look at some of the details.

There was a slightly lower risk of getting cancer among those who ate lots of fruits and vegetables. The authors describe it as a very modest association.

Heavy alcohol drinkers who ate a large amount of fruits and vegetables had a lower risk of developing cancers specifically caused by smoking and drinking.

The study looked at vegetable consumption during adulthood. Could eating vegetables and fruits during childhood protect against cancer later on? We don't know.

The issue of specific phytochemicals that may reduce cancer risks was not addressed. For example, it's believed that lycopene (found in tomatoes) may help reduce the risk of developing prostate cancer.

The study was based on self-reported dietary habits, which is not always an accurate assessment.

I wouldn't use this study as an excuse to cut back on fruits and vegetables. Even if they won't significantly reduce your cancer risk, their valuable vitamins, minerals, fiber and phytochemicals benefit you in other ways. There's strong evidence, for instance, that eating at least five servings a day of vegetables and fruit lowers your risk of heart disease and stroke. And cardiovascular disease kills many more people than cancer.

And let's not forget something very important – fruits and vegetables are just plain delicious!