Fruits, Veggies Reduce Oral Cancer

CATANZARO, Italy--A meta-analysis by scientists from the University of Magna Grecia Medical School and the Second University of Naples Medical School revealed intake of fruits and vegetables is inversely associated with occurrence of oral cancer. They published their findings in the May issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (83, 5:1126-34, 2006).

The researchers conducted a comprehensive, systematic bibliography search of medical literature for relevant studies published up to September 2005, conducting a separate analysis for fruit and vegetable consumption. In addition to calculating the effect of daily intake on oral cancer risk, they performed a multivariate meta-regression analysis to investigate heterogeneity, examining the quality score, type of cancers included, citrus fruit and green vegetable consumption and the time interval for dietary recall of the relevant studies.

In the end, 16 studies (15 case-controlled and one cohort) met the criteria for inclusion. These trials showed each portion of fruit and/or vegetable consumed per day reduced the risk of oral cancer by 49 percent. Individually, increased vegetable consumption was linked to significantly reduced overall risk of oral cancer by 50 percent; and, fruit consumption's reduction of oral cancer risk was dependent upon the type of fruit and length of time interval to dietary recall.

The researchers concluded consumption of fruits and vegetables is associated with a reduced risk of oral cancer.