Five Apples a Day

While eating more than the FDA recommended five servings of fruits and vegetables a day might not give you any extra benefits, it is still believed that eating those five does decrease your risk of breast cancer. The study, reported in Science magazine, was conducted by giving two groups of women previously treated for breast cancer two different recommendations – that they either eat 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day or more than five. There was no difference between the two groups when rates of relapse were compared. The study has one major flaw, however. Researchers assumed that each group of women followed the recommendations given and did not routinely eat more or less fruit than recommended. The assertion that eating at least five servings helps prevent breast cancer goes unchallenged in the article. More about the link between diet and cancer can be found at the American Cancer Society web site.

Perhaps it is time for me to re-evaluate my usual all sugar, starch and caffeine diet.