An 8 year study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute shows no reduction in cancer risk for those eating more fruits and veggies. I can see the headlines now. What we don’t know, but I will be finding out, is what other foods were these people consuming. Specifically I am wondering about meat and animal products. The China Study proved to me that the consumption on animal products is correlated to all forms of cancer. This latest study seems like the Nurses’ Health Study which is only looking at the Standard American Diet. When we will we ever learn? Ugh.....
Quick Update:
If you look at his chart of supplementary data for the study you will see the following:
1) the participants ate a high fat diet (at the upper and lower end)
2) were mostly sedentary (more at the low end but the upper end was close to 50% and then the question is was this self reported activity)
3) most smoked, or are former smokers (more at the lower end, but the upper end had a large number too)
4) and most drank alcohol. (well over 50% assuming <6 doesn't also include 0)
Really, and we wonder why the fruit and veggies didn't help. Hmmmmm. Gee, I wonder. Duh!
Please share your findings! It's definitely written to make headlines, but like you...I suspect there's more to the study.
ReplyDeleteJenn,
ReplyDeleteI will share what I find. This sort of thing really annoys me. In America we are so in love with consuming animal products and anything that says fruit and veggies won't help, or aninmal products don't hurt always makes headlines. Most people only seem to want confirmation that their bad habits won't hurt them.
Alicia
Alicia, I was reading about this today also. My thoughts were the same as yours- what else are these folks eating, who funded the study and exactly what was involved in the study.
ReplyDeletePeople don't like to change, so if the headlines are like this, they see no reason to. And there is so much more money to be made on disease treatment than on fruits and veggies and living a healthy lifestyle.
Janet,
ReplyDeleteThese sorts of studies are so frustrating. No doubt this will make a big headline splash and the details will never be mentioned. Did you check out the supplemental chart I just added the link for? No wonder the veggies and fruit didn't have an impact. Ugh!
Alicia
I am so frustrated when I see headlines like this! They only serve to confuse people even more, when people already have so much misinformation about the subject to begin with! Attacking the Standard American Diet is an act of treason according to some!
ReplyDeleteHolla,
ReplyDeleteI am right there with you. Why people are so afraid to make a meaningful dietary change is beyond me. I would make any change necessary for better health. Oddly, since we really started stepping up our nutrition last summer (June or July), neither my husband or I have had so much as a cold. I am convinced good nutrition makes a big difference. It is nice to know I am not alone on this. ;-)
Alicia
Alicia, thanks for the update and link. Now it makes perfect sense, but sadly the general public won't be informed of the facts surrounding this study.
ReplyDeleteJanet,
ReplyDeleteI am so disappointed at the NCI on this one. We have a good friend that works there. I will be chatting with him on the details of this.
Alicia
As a university student, I have come to realize that quantitative data and supposedly scientific studies are not as rational and objective as they often claim to be. There are many unanswered questions such studies bring up - Who pays the scientists? What are the interests at stake? Who were the participants? Is there actually a causal link or can the observed effects be attributed to something else? Also, I suspect that if one looked into the funding of the US NCI, one would see a lot of corporate sponsors and interests who wish to keep the public in the dark about the effects of the North American diet and lifestyle on their bodies. Furthermore, cancer has become a commodity of sorts and a multi-billion dollar industry of drugs and products - many of the pharma and big business interests in the US and elsewhere do not want their precious profits to decrease. They have a vested interested in keeping the population sick and dependent on drugs that do nothing to address the problem, but only deal with the symptoms. I am happy that people like you, Alicia and others are willing to engage their critical thinking skills and question the status quo!
ReplyDeleteVeganPossum,
ReplyDeleteThanks! :-) I appreciate the compliment and agree with you on the interests behind the studies. Thankfully it was easy to see the broad demographics behind the study population to easily debunk the results. I would imagine very few if any National News organizations will do that research though. Most people will be thrilled to hear they don't need to eat their fruits and veggies. What a messed up society we live in! Glad to know that there are others that are willing to question what they read.
Alicia
theres more to this, i HATE this type of thing, numbers can be screwed with!!
ReplyDeleteMichelle,
ReplyDeleteI think the supplemental data was very telling. If you have a basically unhealthy lifestyle eating a few fruits and veggies isn't going to overcome the other bad habits. I think that should have been the message.
Sharon,
Thanks for the compliment and the link.
We know a man who had breast cancer, but only one. It is always surprising when it happens to men. I used to work in healthcare so I know it does happen, just not as often as it does for women.
Alicia
Right on, Alicia! Dr. McDougall addressed this study's findings in an article in July 2007, and I think you and your readers will also find it very informative...
ReplyDeleteStudy Fails to Show Benefits of Fruits and Veggies for Breast Cancer Patients; Women are Blamed, but the Investigators Were at Fault
If I may indulge in a bit of ranting... of course I share everyone's frustration with this sort of b.s. You won't find Dr. McDougall's (or any similar) article in the mainstream media, but you'll find the bogus results of studies like this one trumpeted all over the place, because "people love to hear 'good' news about their bad habits!"
The NCI's budget is enormous, and it's one of the recipients of the over 100 million dollars raised annually in the U.S. for cancer research (through all those walks, runs, "pink ribbon" campaigns, etc). Cancer is a big business, and very, VERY little (if any) of the money is spent on researching or discussing the actual causes and prevention of it. I doubt this disease industry (which is what it's become) is truly interested in finding and disseminating the truth about how to prevent and/or cure the disease that is their cash cow. Not when all the money to be made is in detecting and treating it (not to mention fund-raising for it!) Go ahead and call me a cynic, I've been called worse. ;-) But you won't ever find me wearing any pink ribbons, and you sure as h*ll won't find me at the annual pig roast our local Cancer Center hosts to raise money! (Ack! Makes me want to puke on so many levels!)
Lalo,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the link I will check that out today.
A pig roast for the local cancer center. That is stupid on so many levels. Ugh....why don't people get it?
Alicia
Here's another ridiculous fundraiser- our local paper today has a story about the Irish pub in town- it is trying to break a world record for the most shots of Irish whiskey downed in succession, while raising money for breast cancer because the manager has breast cancer. !?!
ReplyDeleteReally? Wow, what do you say to that? I applaud them for trying to raise money but there has to be better ways to do it.
ReplyDeleteVegSource just published this article by Pam Popper, PhD (naturopath & nutritionist) about this study. It's another good one, so here's the link...
ReplyDeleteConfusing Research Findings About Diet and Cancer
You may know who Pam Popper is, Ali... her blog profile says she teaches part of Dr. Campbell's plant-based nutrition certification course you're taking!