Women, Veggies, and Cancer

Veggies and exercise may help women lower risk of cancer

Women who exercise, don't smoke and eat a vegetable-rich diet may be able to cut their cancer risk by 30%, according to research presented Thursday at a cancer conference here.

Scientists presented their findings at an annual conference of the World Cancer Research Fund International and the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR), which recommend 14 habits to prevent chronic disease. Suggestions include: exercising daily; gaining no more than 11 pounds after age 18; eating five or more vegetables and fruits a day; avoiding tobacco; limiting alcohol, red meat, fat and salt.

In a study of nearly 30,000 post-menopausal women, Mayo Clinic researchers condensed these recommendations to nine core guidelines. Women who followed one or none of them had a 35% greater risk of cancer than those who practiced at least six, according to a study published this month in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention.

Researchers tracked women participating in the Iowa Women's Health Study, who answered a questionnaire in 1986, and analyzed cases of cancer and death over 13 years. About 15% of the women developed cancer. If women in the study had never smoked and followed most of the guidelines, researchers found, about a third of the cancers could have been delayed or prevented.

Yet researchers noted that diet had little effect on cancer risk without exercise and weight control. Following the recommendations also did not change the risk of dying of heart disease.

The study had several limitations, said Lawrence Kushi, an author of the article and associate director of epidemiology at Kaiser Permanente in Oakland. Participants were not randomly assigned to certain diets, so such factors as income and education may have affected the results. Also, women may have changed their habits after answering the questionnaire.

The AICR also presented results of a survey that asked 1,000 Americans what they ate for dinner the night before. The AICR recommends filling two-thirds of one's dinner plate with plant-based foods, such as vegetables and whole grains, with meat and dairy making up one-third or less. Only 27% met this goal. Even salad eaters consumed too much fat: 19% loaded their salads with meat and cheese.