Fruit and veg

A recent study........and oh we have so many of them nowadays
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Says that eating fruit and vegetables do not necessarily do good things for you
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On the face of it, that is quite a blow to the smug salad eaters, and the health lobby’s spin-doctors were out in force in the wake of the paper’s publication, to play down its conclusions.
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Before racing to the food-recycling bin with the contents of an ageing fruit bowl, they pointed out, there are a number of other factors that nutritionists would urge that you consider.
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One is that this kind of study has attempted to adjust for every possible factor that might contribute to the relationship, and isolate only the contribution that fruit and vegetables make.
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This means that if people who turn away from fruit and vegetables end up eating more processed meats or foods high in fat instead, they probably will increase their cancer risk, even though the direct cause is not the consumption of less fruit and veg.

More importantly, there is still good evidence that fruit and vegetables protect against heart disease and strokes by reducing blood pressure.

A separate investigation of the people involved in Dr Boffetta’s study suggests that those who eat five servings a day of fruit and vegetables have a 30% lower incidence of heart disease and strokes than those who eat less than one and a half servings.

It is also possible that some specific foods, such as tomatoes, broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables, do offer protective effects against particular kinds of cancer.

Economist
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Well that's this week
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Who knows what next week's study will bring?
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When yet more "scientists say"
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Beware scientists saying anything, always try to put it into context
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Look for the figures and logic supporting the claim, use common sense
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Doubly beware the journalist's sound bite or catchy headline

Check on line as to what others are saying on the subject

And most importantly beware official sounding trade bodies, associations and other bodies

Often these are merely the producers or manufacturers hiding behind their pressure group

Check who is paying the scientist or author of any study