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Posted on: April 14, 2011

Here Veggies Come to Save The Day

New studies look at how eating certain vegetables can reduce cancer, cognitive decline

By Bev Bennett
CTW Features

Most folks are no doubt aware that they should be consuming more fruits and vegetables.

It’s nearly impossible to escape the message that produce is an essential part of a healthy diet.

“Fruits and vegetables provide a lot of fiber, important minerals, vitamins and phytochemicals [beneficial plant substances],” says Diane McKay, PhD, scientist in the antioxidants laboratory at the Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, Boston.

But the recommendations may become even more specific as nutrition experts study the link between produce and cancer risk.

One new project will evaluate whether men who eat at least seven servings of produce a day with an emphasis cruciferous vegetables such as Brussels sprouts, kale and broccoli, along with tomatoes (added to exercise and counseling), may decrease their risk of developing or advancing prostate cancer, according to Kellogg Parsons, MD, associate professor of surgery, University of California San Diego Moores Cancer Center.

Other scientists have similar interest in the family of strong-flavored vegetables.

Cruciferous vegetables may help prevent gene aberrations that could lead to cancer and age-related conditions including Alzheimer’s disease, according to Trygve Tollefsbol, PhD, biology professor at University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Tollefsbol is a leading expert in epigenetics, the study of changes in human gene expression with time. He’s working to identify substances in food that inhibit negative gene alterations.

Although the vegetables’ protective mechanism is still under investigation, researchers have theories.

Substances that give cruciferous vegetables their distinctive flavor may act as antioxidants, according to Parsons.

There are also questions about how the produce should be prepared.

“Some cruciferous vegetables may maintain more micronutrients when uncooked,” Parsons says.

As for ‘dosage,” any additions an eater can make to his or her diet may help.

“We’re not talking about radical changes. These are doable amounts,” Tollefsbol says.

For details on incorporating more produce, McKay recommends checking the Food Guide Pyramid from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (www.mypyramid.gov).

And, even though the dark leafy greens are getting all the attention, McKay recommends eating a wide variety of fruits and vegetables.

“You’re more likely to get all the nutrients required to delay the onset or progression of disease,” she says

If you’ve never cozied up to vegetables, you may be tempted to try dietary supplements that promise the active ingredients in the plant foods.

Unfortunately you may not get the same positive results, based on past research.

In population studies 20 to 30 years ago, researchers noted that people who ate a higher proportion of plant foods also had lower risk of heart disease and cancer.

“The effects were beyond vitamins and minerals. Phytochemicals [substances in the plants] were the difference,” says McKay, who specializes in antioxidants.

However, the extracted phytochemicals didn’t show the same benefits in research studies. (In one experiment volunteers at high risk for lung cancer were given beta-carotene and vitamin A supplements. The experiment was stopped early because the volunteers who took the supplements were at greater risk for cancer.)

Now in the University of California San Diego prostate cancer study and others, scientists are looking at the synergistic effect of whole foods.

Bev Bennett, a veteran food writer and editor, is the author of "Dinner for Two: A Cookbook for Couples" and "30-Minute Meals for Dummies"