Intakes of fruits, vegetables, vitamins A, C, and E, and carotenoids and risk of renal cell cancer.
BACKGROUND
Fruits and vegetables rich in antioxidants have been proposed to reduce the risk of renal cell cancer. However, few prospective studies have examined the intakes of fruits, vegetables, and antioxidant vitamins in relation to the risk of renal cell cancer.


METHODS
We prospectively examined the associations between the intakes of fruits, vegetables, vitamins A, C, and E, and carotenoids and risk of renal cell cancer in women and men. We followed 88,759 women in the Nurses' Health Study from 1980 to 2000, and 47,828 men in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study from 1986 to 2000. We assessed dietary intake every 2 to 4 years using a validated semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire. The Cox proportional hazards model was used to estimate study-specific multivariate relative risks (RR), which were pooled using a random effects model.


RESULTS
A total of 248 (132 women and 116 men) incident renal cell cancer cases were ascertained during 2,316,525 person-years of follow-up. The consumption of fruits and vegetables was associated with a decreased risk of renal cell cancer in men (multivariate RR, 0.45; 95% CI, 0.25-0.81, for >or=6 servings of fruit and vegetable intake/d versus <3 servings/d; P test for trend = 0.02), but not in women (multivariate RR, 1.17; 95% CI, 0.66-2.07, for the same contrast; P test for trend = 0.25; P test for between-studies heterogeneity = 0.02). Intakes of vitamins A and C from food and carotenoids were inversely associated with the risk of renal cell cancer in men only, but we cannot exclude the possibility that this was due to other factors in fruit and vegetables. No clear association was observed for vitamin E in women or men.


CONCLUSIONS
Fruit and vegetable consumption may reduce the risk of renal cell cancer in men.
Lee
Jung Eun
JE
Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health, 665 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA. jung.lee@channing.harvard.edu
Giovannucci
Edward
E
Smith-Warner
Stephanie A
SA
Spiegelman
Donna
D
Willett
Walter C
WC
Curhan
Gary C
GC
D000328:Adult; D000975:Antioxidants; D001205:Ascorbic Acid; D002292:Carcinoma, Renal Cell / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002338:Carotenoids; D015930:Diet Records; D005260:Female; D005638:Fruit; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012737:Sex Factors; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014675:Vegetables; D014801:Vitamin A; D014810:Vitamin E; D014815:Vitamins
D000975:Antioxidants; D014815:Vitamins; D014801:Vitamin A; D014810:Vitamin E; D002338:Carotenoids; D001205:Ascorbic Acid