Citrus Compounds May Slash Cancer Risk

Previous studies have suggested that citrus consumption exerts a protective effect against cancer.  Wen-Qing Li, from Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine (Japan), and colleagues investigated the association of citrus consumption with cancer incidence among 42,470 Japanese adults, ages 40 to 79 years, enrolled in the Ohsaki National Health Insurance Cohort. The team found that daily citrus consumption correlated to significant reductions in the risk of all cancer, with an 11% reduction in the incidence of all types of cancer among men, and a 14% reduction among women.  Further, the risk reductions for prostate and pancreatic cancer were calculated to be 37 and 38%, respectively. Observing that:  “These findings suggest that citrus consumption is associated with reduced all-cancer incidence,” the researchers urge that:  “Further work on the specific citrus constituents is warranted, and clinical trials are ultimately necessary to confirm the protective effect.”