Abstract
Prostate cancer risk was examined in relation to intakes of fruit, vegetables, β-carotene and retinol. Subjects were a cohort of 1985 men previously to asbestos who participated in a cancer prevention programme of β-carotene and retinol supplements that commenced in July 1990. Diet was assessed at entry to the programme. Ninety-seven cases of prostate cancer were identified during follow-up until the end of 2004. A decreased prostate cancer risk was observed with increasing intakes of vitamin C-rich vegetables, including bell peppers and broccoli. Fruit, other vegetables and vitamin A intakes did not appear to be strong factors in the development of prostate cancer in this study.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 4 print issues and online access
$259.00 per year
only $64.75 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bosetti C, Tzonou A, Lagiou P, Negri E, Trichopoulos D, Hsieh CC . Fraction of prostate cancer incidence attributed to diet in Athens, Greece. Eur J Cancer Prev 2000; 9: 119–123.
Bosetti C, Micelotta S, Dal Maso L, Talamini R, Montella M, Negri E et al. Food groups and risk of prostate cancer in Italy. Int J Cancer 2004; 110: 424–428.
Key TJ, Allen N, Appleby P, Overvad K, Tjonneland A, Miller A et al. Fruits and vegetables and prostate cancer: no association among 1104 cases in a prospective study of 130 544 men in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC). Int J Cancer 2004; 109: 119–124.
Giovannucci E, Rimm EB, Liu Y, Stampfer MJ, Willett WC . A prospective study of cruciferous vegetables and prostate cancer. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2003; 12: 1403–1409.
Cohen JH, Kristal AR, Stanford JL . Fruit and vegetable intakes and prostate cancer risk. J Natl Cancer Inst 2000; 92: 61–68.
Norrish AE, Jackson RT, Sharpe SJ, Skeaff CM . Prostate cancer and dietary carotenoids. Am J Epidemiol 2000; 151: 119–123.
Kolonel LN, Hankin JH, Whittemore AS, Wu AH, Gallagher RP, Wilkens L et al. Vegetables, fruits, legumes and prostate cancer: a multiethnic case–control study. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2000; 9: 795–804.
Schuurman AG, Goldbohm RA, Dorant E, Vandenbrandt PA . Vegetable and fruit consumption and prostate cancer risk – a cohort study in the Netherlands. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 1998; 7: 673–680.
Tzonou A, Signorello LB, Lagiou P, Wuu J, Trichopoulos D, Trichopoulos A . Diet and cancer of the prostate: a case–control study in Greece. Int J Cancer 1999; 80: 704–708.
Report of the Working Group on Diet and Cancer of the Committee on Medical Aspects of Food and Nutrition Policy (COMA). Nutritional Aspects of the Development of Cancer, Department of Health Report on Health and Social Subjects, Vol. 48. Her Majesty's Stationery Office: Norwich, 1998, 274pp.
World Cancer Research Fund and the American Institute for Cancer Research. Food, Nutrition and the Prevention of Cancer: A Global Perspective. American Institute for Cancer Research: Washington, DC, 1997, 670pp.
Willis MS, Wians FH . The role of nutrition in preventing prostate cancer: a review of the proposed mechanism of action of various dietary substances. Clin Chim Acta 2003; 330: 57–83.
Musk A, de Klerk N, JL E, Hobbs M, Armstrong B, Layman L et al. Wittenoom Western Australia: a modern industrial disaster. Am J Industr Med 1992; 21: 735–747.
de Klerk NH, Musk AW, Armstrong BK, Hobbs MST . Diseases in miners and millers of crocidolite from Wittenoom, Western Australia: a further follow-up to December 1986. Ann Occup Hyg 1994; 38: S647–S655.
Hansen J, de Klerk NH, Musk AW, Eccles JL, Hobbs MST . Mesothelioma after environmental crocidolite exposure. Ann Occup Hyg 1997; 41: 189–193.
Musk AW, de Klerk NH, Ambrosini GL, Eccles JL, Hansen J, Olsen NJ et al. Vitamin A and cancer prevention I: observations in workers previously exposed to asbestos at Wittenoom, Western Australia. Int J Cancer 1998; 75: 335–361.
Omenn G, Goodman G, Thornquist M, Balmes J, Cullen M, Glass A et al. Effects of a combination of beta carotene and vitamin A on lung cancer and cardiovascular disease. N Engl J Med 1996; 334: 1150–1155.
Albanes D, Heinonen OP, Huttunen JK, Taylor PR, Virtamo J, Edwards BK et al. Effects of alpha-tocopherol and beta-carotene supplements on cancer incidence in the alpha-tocopherol beta-carotene cancer prevention study. Am J Clin Nutr 1995; 62: S1427–S1430.
Ambrosini GL, de Klerk NH, Musk AW, Mackerras D . Agreement between a brief food frequency questionnaire and diet records using two statistical methods. Public Health Nutr 2001; 4: 255–264.
Michels K, Giovannucci E, Joshipura K, Rosner B, Stampfer M, Fuchs C et al. Prospective study of fruit and vegetable consumption and incidence of colon and rectal cancers. J Natl Cancer Inst 2000; 92: 1740–1752.
Food Standards Australia New Zealand. Australian Food Composition Tables (NUTTAB91-92). Commonwealth Government of Australia: Canberra, 1992.
Stata Corp. Intercooled Stata version 9.0 for Windows. StataCorp LP: College Station, 2005.
Schuurman A, Goldbohm R, Brants H, van den Brandt P . A prospective cohort study of intake of retinol, vitamin C and E, and carotenoids and prostate cancer risk (Netherlands). Cancer Causes Control 2002; 13: 573–582.
Deneo-Pellegrini H, De Stefani E, Ronco A, Mendilaharsu M . Foods, nutrients and prostate cancer: a case–control study in Uraguay. Br J Cancer 1999; 80: 591–597.
Kristal AR, Stanford JL, Cohen JH, Wicklund K, Patterson RE . Vitamin and mineral supplement use is associated with reduced risk of prostate cancer. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 1999; 8: 887–892.
Daviglus ML, Dyer AR, Persky V, Chavez N, Drum M, Goldberg J et al. Dietary beta carotene, vitamin C, and the risk of prostate cancer: results from the Western Electric Study. Epidemiology 1997; 7: 472–477.
Kristal AR . Vitamin A, retinoids and carotenoids as chemopreventive agents for prostate cancer. J Urol 2004; 171: S54–S58.
Wu K, Erdman Jr JW, Schwartz SJ, Platz EA, Leitzmann M, Clinton SK et al. Plasma and dietary carotenoids, and the risk of prostate cancer: a nested case–control study. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2004; 13: 260–269.
Bosetti C, Talamini R, Montella M, Negri E, Conti E, Franceschi S et al. Retinol, carotenoids and the risk of prostate cancer: a case–control study from Italy. Int J Cancer 2004; 112: 689.
Kristal AR, Lampe JW . Brassica vegetables and prostate cancer risk: a review of the epidemiological evidence. Nutr Cancer 2002; 42: 1–9.
Hodge AM, English DR, McCredie MRE, Severi G, Boyle P, Hopper JL et al. Foods, nutrients and prostate cancer. Cancer Causes Control 2004; 15: 11–20.
Chan JM, Gann PH, Giovannucci EL . Role of diet in prostate cancer development and progression. J Clin Oncol 2005; 23: 8152–8160.
Etminan M, Takkouche B, Caamano-Isorna F . The role of tomato products and lycopene in the prevention of prostate cancer: a meta-analysis of observational studies. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2004; 13: 340–345.
Giovannucci E . Tomato products, lycopene, and prostate cancer: a review of the epidemiological literature. J Nutr 2005; 135: 2030S–2031S.
Giovannucci E, Rimm E, Liu Y, Stampfer M, Willet W . A prospective study of tomato products, lycopene, and prostate cancer risk. J Natl Cancer Inst 2002; 94: 391–398.
Australian Bureau of Statistics. Apparent Consumption of Foodstuffs 1997–98 and 1998–99. Australian Bureau of Statistics: Canberra, 2000, 39pp.
Acknowledgements
Funds for this study were provided by the Western Australian (WA) Cancer Council, the WA Department of Health, the WA Workers’ Compensation and Rehabilitation Commission, Iain and Penny MacGregor, and the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council. We are grateful for research assistance provided by Nola Olsen, Lynne Defrenne, Jan Sleith, Naomi Hammond and Barbara Telfer, and data management provided by Philip Etherington.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Ambrosini, G., de Klerk, N., Fritschi, L. et al. Fruit, vegetable, vitamin A intakes, and prostate cancer risk. Prostate Cancer Prostatic Dis 11, 61–66 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.pcan.4500979
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.pcan.4500979
Keywords
This article is cited by
-
Anti-prostate cancer protection and therapy in the framework of predictive, preventive and personalised medicine — comprehensive effects of phytochemicals in primary, secondary and tertiary care
EPMA Journal (2022)
-
Spinach consumption and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease among adults: a case–control study
BMC Gastroenterology (2021)
-
Processed and raw tomato consumption and risk of prostate cancer: a systematic review and dose–response meta-analysis
Prostate Cancer and Prostatic Diseases (2018)
-
Tomato consumption and prostate cancer risk: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Scientific Reports (2016)
-
Promoter de-methylation of cyclin D2 by sulforaphane in prostate cancer cells
Clinical Epigenetics (2011)