- This post is about research published in April 2010. For analysis of November 2010′s paper in the British Journal of Cancer, read this post.
Fruit and vegetables have a small protective effect against cancer
Today’s headlines are loudly proclaiming that the message to eat five daily portions of fruit and vegetables isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. “Fruit and vegetables have little effect on cancer risk,” says the Guardian. “Five fruit and veg a day does not significantly reduce cancer risk,” says the Telegraph.
These claims are based on a new report from the largest ever study of diet and cancer. Here, we look at what the paper actually showed, how this fits in with the history of the five-a-day message and, most importantly, whether it means you should still try to eat plenty of fruit and veg.