Research links yellow-orange vegetable consumption with reduced bladder cancer risk in women

(http://www.huffingtonpost.com) New research published in the Journal of Nutrition shows that eating yellow-orange vegetables could decrease a woman's risk of bladder cancer.

The study, performed by researchers from the University of Hawaii Cancer Center, included 185,885 older adults who were all part of the Multiethnic Cohort Study, which started in 1993. Over a 12.5 year period, 429 men and 152 women developed invasive bladder cancer. The researchers took into account known bladder cancer risk factors, such as age, and still found an association between produce consumption and bladder risk; women who consumed the most yellow-orange vegetables had a 52% lower risk of developing bladder cancer over the course of the study. Furthermore, bladder cancer risk was lowest for women who generally consumed the most vitamins A, C and E, alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, beta-cryptoxanthin and folate. However, no associations were found between vegetable or nutrient intake and bladder cancer in men.

"Our study supports the fruit and vegetable recommendation for cancer prevention," study researcher Song-Yi Park, Ph.D., said in a statement. "However, further investigation is needed to understand and explain why the reduced cancer risk with higher consumption of fruits and vegetables was confined to only women."