Further research indicating the benefits of better diet and physical
activity through gardening.
****
Good Diet and Gardening Linked To Lower Lung Cancer Risk
ScienceDaily (Dec. 8, 2007) — By simply eating four or more servings
of green salad a week and working in the garden once or twice a week,
smokers and nonsmokers alike may be able to substantially reduce the
risk of developing lung cancer, say researchers at The University of
Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.
"This is the first risk prediction model to examine the effects of
diet and physical activity on the possibility of developing lung
cancer," says Michele R. Forman, Ph.D., lead author of the study and
a professor in M. D. Anderson's Department of Epidemiology. Forman
presented study results at the American Association for Cancer
Research "Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research" meeting Dec. 7 in
Philadelphia, Pa. The data are from an ongoing M. D. Anderson case-
control lung cancer study involving more than 3,800 participants.
Separate epidemiologic risk assessment models were developed for
current and former smokers as well as for those who have never smoked
("never smokers").
Forman's study looked at salad consumption and gardening because,
"salad is a marker for the consumption of many vegetables and
gardening is an activity in which smokers and nonsmokers can
participate."
The baseline lung cancer prediction model had moderate risk
protection. The study pairs M. D. Anderson lung cancer patients with
cancer-free current, former and never smoker counterparts provided
through a partnership with Kelsey-Seybold Clinic, a Houston-based
HMO. By including diet and physical activity, the discriminatory
power of the model was raised to 64 percent, 67 percent and 71
percent respectively for never, former and current smokers.
"This finding is exciting because not only is it applicable to
everyone, but it also may have a positive impact on the 15 percent of
non-smokers who develop lung cancer," says Forman. The other risk
factors include exposure to secondhand smoke and dust, family history
of cancer and the patient's history of respiratory disease and smoking.
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death for men and women,
with more than 213,000 estimated new cases diagnosed each year
according to the American Cancer Society. Smoking tobacco accounts
for more than eight of 10 lung cancer cases.
Adapted from materials provided by University of Texas M. D. Anderson
Cancer Center.
University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. "Good Diet and
Gardening Linked To Lower Lung Cancer Risk." ScienceDaily 8 December
2007. 9 December 2007 <http://www.sciencedaily.com /releases/
2007/12/071207120806.htm>.
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