Vegetables, Fruit, and Lung Cancer in the Iowa Women's Health Study

Habitual intake of fruits and vegetables may help to hold lung cancer at bay in women.

​This study determined the role of high fruit and vegetable diet in the prevention of lung cancer in women. A team of US researchers tracked the dietary and medical records of over 40,000 Iowa women aged 55-69 years for a period of 4 years. 

The research team discovered that habitual consumption of generous portions of fruits and vegetables, particularly green leafy vegetables, decreased the risk of lung cancer in women by as much as 50%. The lung cancer protective effect of fruits and vegetables was noticed to be much stronger in former smokers. The data from this study support an inverse association between frequent ingestion of fruits and vegetables and lung cancer risk in women.