Summary
This prospective cohort study from the Greek EPIC component investigated whether high vegetable and fruit consumption is associated with reduced cancer risk in a population characterised by traditionally high intake of these foods. The authors found a statistically significant inverse association between combined vegetable and fruit consumption and overall cancer incidence in the whole cohort and among women, but not men, with a hazard ratio of 0.94 per increasing quintile (95% CI 0.88–0.99). The associations observed were notably weaker than those reported in earlier Greek case–control studies, suggesting the protective effect may be more modest than previously estimated.
Regional applicability
This study was conducted in Greece and is directly applicable to Mediterranean dietary contexts characterised by high baseline fruit and vegetable consumption. The findings may be transferable to United Kingdom populations in terms of methodological approach, though the UK has lower baseline vegetable and fruit intake than Greece, and ethnically different populations; UK studies would need to assess whether similar inverse associations persist at lower consumption levels.
Key measures
Hazard ratios per increasing quintile of vegetable and fruit consumption; 95% confidence intervals; cancer incidence rates by sex
Outcomes reported
The study examined the association between vegetable and fruit intake and total cancer incidence over a median follow-up of 7.9 years, with 851 cancer cases diagnosed among 25,623 participants. Cancer incidence was measured through Cox regression analysis controlling for potential confounders.
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