Prospective cohort study of fruit and vegetable intake in relation to risks of lung, colorectal, stomach, and overall cancers in China

A prospective cohort study using data from 50,987 participants in the Shanghai Suburban Adult Cohort and Biobank (SSACB; 2016-2019) investigated the relationship between fruit and vegetable intake and the incidence of cancer through linkage with the cancer registry up to June 30, 2024. Participants in the highest quartile of total vegetable and fruit intake had a lower risk of overall cancer (HR 0.81; 95% CI 0.72-0.90), with similar inverse associations observed for vegetables and fruits separately. Higher fruit and vegetable intake was also associated with lower risks of lung and stomach cancers, whereas no associations were observed for colorectal cancer. In continuous analyses, each SD increase in total vegetable and fruit intake was associated with an 8% lower risk of overall cancer (HR 0.92; 95% CI 0.88-0.97), and the findings were generally consistent with those from quartile-based analyses. In subgroup analyses, these inverse associations were observed among participants with favorable lifestyles and health conditions. Restricted cubic spline analyses identified nonlinear associations between fruit intake and risks of overall and lung cancer, with these protective association becoming less pronounced at excessive intake levels. The authors conclude that these results demonstrate a general inverse assocation between fruit and vegetable intake and risk of overall cancer (graphical abstract).