Green Vegetables May Lower Prostate Cancer Risk

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American Cancer Society - February 25 2000

http://www2.cancer.org/zine/dsp_StoryIndex.cfm?fn=004_02252000_0

 

Men who eat plenty of green vegetables, such as cabbage and broccoli, can lower

their risk of prostate cancer by 41 percent, according to a new study.

 

" These findings add to our knowledge of the importance of a high vegetable-based

diet in the fight against cancer, " said study co-author Jennifer Cohen, PhD,

MPH, of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle.

 

Dr. Cohen and her colleagues evaluated the total fruit and vegetable consumption

of 1,230 men between the ages of 40 and 64 and found men who ate three or more

servings of vegetables a day had a 35 percent lower risk of prostate cancer,

compared with men who ate fewer than two servings per day. Of the men studied,

half had been diagnosed with prostate cancer and half were randomly selected.

 

Cruciferous vegetables found to give most benefit

 

Vegetables in the cruciferous family – which includes cabbage, broccoli,

Brussels sprouts, and cauliflower – were found to give the biggest benefit

because of a certain type of phytochemical they contain. Prostate cancer risk

was cut by 41 percent among men who ate three or more servings of cruciferous

vegetables per week compared to those who ate less than one serving per week. It

is thought that pytochemicals in cruciferous vegetables boost the production of

certain types of enzymes called GSTPi, which are most abundant in the prostate

and protect against damaging agents associated with prostate cancer, according

to Dr. Cohen.

 

The study confirms the widely held belief among doctors and nutritionists that

fruits and vegetables may help protect against cancer. But, in contrast to an

earlier study, it found certain components in cooked tomatoes could not protect

against prostate cancer. The new study found no link between tomatoes, which

contain the carotenoid lycopene, and prostate cancer prevention – a result in

contrast to earlier studies noting that lycopene actually lowers a man’s risk.

 

The authors found " the relationship between lycopene and tomato products with

prostate cancer risk remains inconclusive. "

 

Jury still out on benefits of lycopene

 

" The jury is still out on lycopene, " said Colleen Doyle, MS, RD, nutrition and

physical activity director for the American Cancer Society (ACS). " Earlier

studies have not consistently shown that men who consume more lycopene are at a

reduced risk of developing prostate cancer. "

 

However, Doyle points out that despite the inconclusive results on lycopene,

tomatoes are still an important part of a healthy diet. " Everyone should eat at

least five servings of a wide variety of fruits and vegetables every day and

tomatoes are a great way to get in your five daily vegetable servings, " she

said.

 

Doyle said this latest research provides further evidence to support the ACS’s

dietary guidelines. " This is a good study and adds to a wide body of studies

that basically say you have to eat your fruits and vegetables to stay healthy.

You can’t eat enough cruciferous vegetables, " she said.

 

" We don’t make recommendations based on one study, but it is exciting to see

more studies confirming what the ACS has been saying all along, " Doyle

concluded.

 

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