Men who eat more fruit and vegetables have less risk of developing a type of cancer

of the oesophagus, a study by a Japanese medical team said on Thursday.

The study, spearheaded by Japan's health ministry, monitored 39 000 men aged 45 to

74 over about eight years, during which time 116 developed the type of cancer called

oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC).

Esophageal SCC is a common type of cancer among Japanese men, strongly linked to

smoking and drinking alcohol, according to the study led by Shoichiro Tsugane, chief

of the Epidemiology and Prevention Division at Japan's National Cancer Centre.

The study divided men into three groups and found that those who ate the most fruit

and vegetables had nearly half the risk of developing oesophageal SCC compared with

the group with the least vegetable-based diet.

"An increase in consumption of total fruit and vegetables by 100 grams per day was

associated with an 11-percent decrease in the incidence of esophageal SCC," the

researchers said in a statement.

The study concluded that vegetables, especially the so-called cruciferous family of

vegetables that includes radishes and cabbages, may help prevent oesophageal SCC.

A diet rich in fruit and vegetables would lower the risk of developing this type of

cancer to nearly one-third, even among men who smoke and drink, it said.

But the study warned that fruits and veggies were no substitute for the health

benefits of quitting smoking or drinking.

A scientific study at Britain's Institute of Food Research showed last month that

men who ate more broccoli, one of the cruciferous vegetables, reduced their risk of

prostate cancer and other chronic diseases.