Mom really did mean well when she tried to disguise the taste of brussel sprouts and broccoli to coax us into eating them - a fact confirmed by the results of  University of California, San Francisco. Vegetables (particularly cruciferous and "yellow" ones) could reduce the risk of pancreatic cancer by up to 50% and that's good news about a largely untreatable disease that is difficult to diagnose and kills 30,000 Americans annually.

Researchers conducted a case-control study that compared the diets of 532 pancreatic cancer patients with that of 1,700 randomly selected cancer-free participants in a control group reflecting a similar age and gender range. After interviewing participants about their diet in the year preceding the interview, researchers found that those who reported eating at least five servings a day of certain vegetables or vegetables and fruit combined had a 50% lower risk of pancreatic cancer compared with those who ate two servings per day or less. (An example of one serving is one half-cup of cooked vegetables or two cups of leafy salad.)

Most beneficial were yellow vegetables - such as carrots, sweet potatoes and corn - as well as beans, garlic, onions and leafy and cruciferous vegetables. Researchers say that preparation might affect the results as well, with raw vegetables providing greater benefit than cooked or fried vegetables.

The researchers admit that studies with different designs-specifically prospective cohort studies that have looked at the relationship between the consumption of fruit and vegetables and pancreatic cancer-have not found a significant association, and they emphasize that more research is needed. But they maintain that the correlation they found between vegetable consumption and the reduced risk of pancreatic cancer is statistically significant.

From our Archives:
06/21/04  Surviving Cancer
12/08/03  Practice Practice