Fruit and Vegetables Not Really Effective Against Cancer?

For years the medical world claims that five fruit servings a day protect against more than half of all cancers. Wrong, says an international team of scientists.

They studied the lifestyle, eating habits and health of almost 500,000 Europeans from ten countries. The results show that fruit and vegetables have only or even no effect on protection against cancer. Only 2.5 percent of all cancers can be avoided by consuming some portions of fruit a day.

Out of context

According to the famous Belgian oncologist Jaak Janssens we have to relativate the results of the concerning study, however. "It's a study with the Western population as subject. We are generally big eaters. Moreover, only adults were examined. While children are the main group. Their eating habits will influence later risk of cancer."

The researchers have not been careful enough. "This study was indeed carefully conducted, but it was not very wise to point out and explain one element of the research results and send it out to the world. In this way often completely wrong conclusions are made."