Eat Well

Researchers are divided on the cancer-preventing power of a low-fat diet rich in fruits and vegetables. The Women’s Health Initiative diet study, conducted by the National Institutes of Health and published in 2006, looked at the effect of low-fat diets on cancer and heart health in postmenopausal women (no studies this comprehensive have been done on premenopausal women).

The study found that although a low-fat diet did not significantly reduce the incidence of heart disease or colorectal cancer, it seemed to be of some benefit in preventing breast cancer. Women who started with diets highest in fat (35 to 38 percent) and cut their fat calories by 12 percent lowered their risk for breast cancer by 22 percent. But the results were controversial. The study didn’t distinguish between healthy fats (like olive oil) and unhealthy ones (like butter); also, some experts thought it was too short in duration.

“Cancer takes a long time to become clinically detectable,” says Carolyn D. Runowicz, M.D., the president of the American Cancer Society (ACS) and the author of The Answer to Cancer (Rodale, $25, www.amazon.com). “The Women’s Health Initiative study started eight years ago — it may be too early to see an effect. And it may not be fats in general that are helpful or not helpful for cancer prevention but, rather, specific types of fats and total calories.”

Cruciferous Vegetables: Some researchers now believe that only certain vegetables can bolster the body’s resistance to cancer by helping to defend against cell damage, or that compounds in certain vegetables may be helpful only to people born with specific genes. But research is mounting in support of the idea that cruciferous vegetables, including broccoli, cabbage, and Brussels sprouts, are cancer-preventing foods. In a 2005 study conducted at Ohio State University, the phytochemical glucosinolate, found in broccoli, hindered the growth of cancerous cells in the bladder. (Cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, kale, and cabbage contain similar compounds, which may also be beneficial, according to the researchers.)

These findings build upon a 1999 study by the Harvard School of Public Health and Ohio State University of more than 47,000 men, which showed that two or more half-cup servings of broccoli a week reduced the risk of bladder cancer by 44 percent. And according to findings in 2005 from the Polish Women’s Health Study, a project of the NCI, sauerkraut and cabbage were shown to possibly ward off breast cancer.

The "Pizza Group:" Other helpful foods are from the “pizza group” — namely, tomato sauce, garlic, and olive oil. In a 2002 study of nearly 50,000 men, researchers at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital, in Boston, and Harvard Medical School found that lycopene, an antioxidant found in tomatoes and tomato-based products, protects against prostate cancer. Preliminary evidence has also suggested that lycopene helps prevent breast and oral cancers. Many studies have found that olive oil is protective against cancer, and according to The National Cancer Institute (NCI), research provides compelling evidence that garlic offers cancer-prevention benefits as well.

Food and Colorectal Cancer: Although scientists once believed a high-fiber diet helped prevent colorectal cancer, more recent studies — including a December review of 13 studies and more than 725,000 subjects, conducted at the Harvard School of Public Health — have called that theory into question. Red and processed meats may increase the risk of colon cancer, according to a study by the ACS. Among nearly 149,000 adults, women who consistently ate two or more ounces of red meat a day (three ounces for men) and one ounce of processed meat three to four days a week (five to six days for men) over a 20-year period were at a 30 to 50 percent higher risk of colon cancer, as compared with those who ate less meat. In 2005 the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition, a study of about 478,000 adults over a five-year period, found a similar link between red and processed meats and colorectal cancer.

What to Do: Eat your broccoli, cabbage, and tomatoes, but ease up on the red meat. The NCI recommends that women consume seven servings of fruits and vegetables a day, while men should eat nine. For more information on serving size and foods that can keep you healthy, go to .