COOKED GREEN VEGETABLES LOWER COLON CANCER RISK

EATING legumes at least three times a week
and brown rice at least once a week was
linked to a reduced risk of colon polyps by
33 per cent and 40 per cent respectively,
according to Loma Linda University
research recently published in Nutrition and
Cancer. High consumption of cooked green
vegetables and dried fruit was also
associated with greater protection, the
study shows.
“Eating these foods is likely to decrease
your risk for colon polyps, which would in
turn decrease your risk for colorectal
cancer,” says lead author Yessenia
Tantamango, a post-doctoral research
fellow with Adventist Health Study-2 at
Loma Linda University.
“While a majority of past research has
focused on broad food groups, such as
fruits and vegetables, in relation to colon
cancer, our study focused on specific foods,
as well as more narrowed food groups, in
relation to colon polyps, a precursor to
colon cancer. Our study confirms the results
of past studies that have been done in
different populations analyzing risks for
colon cancer.”
Results also show that consuming cooked
green vegetables once a day or more, as
compared to less than five times a week,
was associated with a 24 per cent reduction
in the risk of rectal/colon polyps.
Consuming dried fruit three times a week or
more, versus less than once a week, was
associated with a 26 per cent reduced risk.
The protective effects of these foods could
be due in part to their cancer-fighting
agents, the study reported.