Fruit and vegetables for cancer…

[31 August 2004 - 00h00]

The virtues of vitamins C and A are well known… by not many people! Did you know for instance that they even have anti-cancer properties? So this summer don’t forget to pay a visit to the market. You will find plenty of fruit and vegetables there.

Vitamin C, used abundantly in winter to strengthen our defences against the cold, never ceases to amaze us. Did you know that it can even slow down the formation in the stomach of carcinogenic nitrosamines, no less!

As for vitamin A, which is beneficial for the eyes, it is produced in the intestine and liver from a precursor called beta-carotene. This product, found in many types of fruit and vegetables, has real protective effects against a large number of cancers. So take advantage of the summer and the rich supply in your markets to eat a healthy diet. Because the beta-carotene in little pills is not as effective as that contained in vegetables, according to the WHO’s International Cancer Research Centre in Lyon. And it may even have disadvantages…

You can find vitamin C in oranges –avoid the famous fizzy powdered variety– but not only there. Many seasonal fruits contain this vitamin, including lemons, kiwis, mangoes, strawberries, papaya and grapefruit. As do many vegetables: broccoli, cabbage and Brussels sprouts, fennel, cauliflower, spinach, peppers and potatoes. It’s everywhere!

To obtain beta-carotene, you must buy carrots, dandelions and tomatoes, or again fennel. You will also find some in fruit such as apricots and mangoes. So be sure to develop the “fruit and vegetable” reflex this summer…

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