Sanitarium Health and Wellbeing Company is concerned over a recent mini-review published in the British Journal of Cancer which suggests that increasing fruit and vegetable intake provides little protection against cancer. 
The report suggests it is other lifestyle factors such as obesity and smoking that have a greater impact on cancer development. However, it does state that the lack of benefit is only seen in well nourished populations who meet the recommended intakes of fruit and vegetables, and populations who do not consume the recommended intakes will increase their protection against cancer by increasing their intakes. Numerous other studies show fruits and vegetables do in fact protect against some forms of cancers and are also suggested to be protective against cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, Diverticular disease and helps relieve constipation. The World Health Organisation (WHO) states fruit and vegetables may have a protective effect against many chronic diseases including cancer and recommends that we eat mostly foods of plant origin.
For over 100 years, the Sanitarium has promoted a diet high in plant-based foods and Sanitarium Nutrition Services Manager, Cherry Downing says yesterdays reports only added to consumer’s confusion about ‘healthy eating’.
"Fruit and vegetables are excellent sources of many nutrients including fibre, micronutrients such as vitamins and minerals and the lesser known phytonutrients.
When a person consumes many fruits and vegetables on a regular basis they are not only ensuring good intakes of the nutrients contained within the foods, they are also potentially reducing the amount of other more contentious foods such as highly processed snacks that are more energy dense than nutrient dense. These highly processed snack foods can lead to weight gain and obesity.
Sanitarium believes that a healthy balanced diet that is predominantly wholefood focused and includes a minimum of five portions of fruit and vegetables a day is key for good health, not only for the treatment of disease but for the prevention of such."
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