Nutrition, Diet, Weight Loss

If you read the last blog, you'll know I said "Believe half of what you read, and less of what you hear." The half not to believe comes courtesy of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.  Apparently, "Eating fruits and vegetables was not strongly associated with decreased colon cancer risk, according to a study published online."

Now I'm not implying that the National Cancer Institute does not believe that more fruits and vegetables are not beneficial to the prevention of cancer, but they certainly aren't leaning that way. Here's the dilemma, or the conundrum if you will: the Institute exists for the purpose of and I quote: "conducts and supports research, training, health information dissemination, and other programs with respect to the cause, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of cancer, rehabilitation from cancer, and the continuing care of cancer patients and the families of cancer patients" - found on their website.  No where does it say to find a CURE for cancer. Ok, so that's not what they do, someone else does.

So would an Institute that has huge financial interest in managing Cancer have any interest in disseminating information that might suggest that the public can prevent Cancer or at least significantly delay the onset of Cancer by adhering to a diet full of fruits and vegetables?  No.

Now the flipside of this research could be that the diets of the population studied was also so filled with other "less healthy" (in other words, very unhealthy) foods that any added fruits and vegetables in their diets were offset by them.  Let's give the researchers the benefit of the doubt and just say that - that the diets of those studied were so poor to begin with that added a few more fruits and vegetables wouldn't in any significant way provide a preventative benefit.

The bottom line is that a healthy diet full of nutrients from fruits and vegetables IS going to support health, aid in prevention of disease, and be provide what your cells need to thrive. It shouldn't be debatable with research, just a given from 'common sense'.

Dr. Havey
The Health & Wellness Institute, PC