Eat fruits, veggies, cut cancer risk

Fruits and vegetables, aside from being nutritious, can help you stave off life-threatening diseases like cancer, heart disease and diabetes.

Eating fruits and vegetables at least five times a day decreases one’s risk of getting hit by the "Big C" by as much as 20 percent, no matter what diet and lifestyle patterns one follows.

Food Facts Asia (FFA), the official publication of the Asian Food Information Center (AFIC), said in a report quoting studies conducted by the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Cancer esearch Fund (WCRF) and research by Harvard medical school that a low intake of fruit and vegetables is estimated to be the trigger for about 19 percent of the total number of cases of gastrointestinal cancer.

A diet that is deficient in fruit and vegetable intake is also considered a major factor in 31 percent of cases of heart disease and 11 percent of stroke cases, the WHO said.

However, FFA also said an expert report published by the WCRF in 1997 estimates that 30 to 40 percent of cancer cases throughout the world are preventable through diet modification.

"The report states that the evidence for the role of diet in protection against cancer is strongest and most consistent for diets high in vegetables and fruits," it said.

The WHO’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said in its 2003 report that there is convincing evidence that fruits and vegetables also decrease the risk of obesity, cardiovascular diseases and may decrease the risk of diabetes.

‘Five a day’

Diets like the very popular "no food after six p.m." rule, Atkins and South Beach are very common among individuals who seek to lose weight and live healthier lives.

But research shows that specific diet patterns emphasizing a high intake of fruit and vegetables will lower one’s risk of getting cancer without really affecting their dietary lifestyle.

FFA’s report introduces the "five a day" challenge. Under the FFA’s recommendations, people should consume approximately 400 grams of fruit and vegetables daily spread over five servings.

The idea is to consume a variety of fruits and vegetables five times a day. The amount of each serving should equal about a palm full of fruit or vegetable.

"Although fruits and vegetables are believed to contribute benefits, green leafy vegetables such as lettuce and spinach, cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage, and citrus fruits such as oranges, lemons and limes as well as other juices make especially important contributions," the FFA said.

It also notes that tuber plants such as potatoes and cassava do not count towards the 400 gram a day fruit and vegetable target but regularly including such starchy foods in the diet is also important for other health reasons.

In order to fulfill the "five a day" challenge, FFA said the first guiding principle is to aim for as wide a variety of fruits and vegetables as possible.

The FFA report also said yellow or orange fruit and vegetables, like pumpkins and mango, are good sources of carotenoids, which are rich in vitamin A.

The FFA said white vegetables like onions and garlic are good sources of sulfurous compounds, while green leafy vegetables are excellent sources of B vitamins.

"Furthermore, increased fruit and vegetable consumption can replace foods high in saturated fat, salt and total energy content and so will improve the overall nutritional quality of the diet," the FFA report said.

Raising awareness, joining hands

Meanwhile, Sen. Pia Cayetano has called on the government and the private sector to join hands in support of children stricken with cancer.

"The lives of Filipino children stricken with cancer can be saved with early detection and proper treatment," said Cayetano, who chairs the Senate health and demography committee.

She said many Filipinos are unaware that April was designated as "cancer in children awareness month," in much the same way that many families lack basic information on how to deal with cancer.

"Often, (families) are gripped with a sense of helplessness when cancer strikes a family member," Cayetano said.

She said the survival rate of children with cancer is alarmingly low, citing a report by the non-government organization (NGO) Cancer Warriors Foundation Inc. (CWFI).

The CWFI report showed that only 10 percent of Filipino children diagnosed with cancer survive, Cayetano added. "But these young lives need not be wasted, since the disease can be (successfully) treated if detected early. The earlier the child is diagnosed, the greater the chance of recovery."

With proper information, early detection and appropriate treatment, cancer can be beaten, she said.

Citing research data from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), Cayetano said cancer reaps a grim harvest of lives — 100,000 children worldwide each year, or 274 children a day. — With Christina Mendez