Fruit and vegetable intake lowers endometrial cancer risk

Eating fruits and vegetables may help reduce the risk of endometrial cancer, suggests a recent study, noting that specific kinds of fruits and vegetables must be recommended based on their outstanding bioactive components.

A team of investigators explored the effects of fruits, vegetables, and their other specific types by reviewing recent articles. They performed a systematic search in the databases of PubMed and Embase until August 2021 and identified 27 eligible studies (21 case-control and six cohort).

A reduced risk of endometrial cancer showed a robust association with the consumption of vegetables (pooled odds ratio [OR], 0.76, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 0.63‒0.91), cruciferous vegetables (pooled OR, 0.81, 95 percent CI, 0.70‒0.94), dark green and yellow/orange combined vegetables (pooled OR, 0.64, 95 percent CI, 0.42‒0.97), and fruits (pooled OR, 0.81, 95 percent CI, 0.70‒0.92).

These findings were drawn from studies of high quality and demonstrated either by case-control only or a combination of case-control and cohort studies. Notably, the results differed by geographic location, such as Western areas, Italy, and the US.

“Fruits and vegetables store many bioactive compounds and micronutrients, making their consumption ideal for maintaining good health,” the investigators said. “A previous meta-analysis in 2007 provided evidence that high vegetable and cruciferous vegetable intake might help prevent endometrial cancer development.”