A diet packed with fruits, vegetables, and whole grains is widely considered one of the best ways to support overall health and reduce the risk of many diseases, including cancer.
But new research from the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of Keck Medicine of USC, suggests an unexpected possibility. Findings presented at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research indicate that younger Americans under age 50 who have never smoked and consume more of these healthy foods than average may face a higher risk of developing lung cancer.
"Our research shows that younger non-smokers who eat a higher quantity of healthy foods than the general population are more likely to develop lung cancer," said Jorge Nieva, MD, a medical oncologist and lung cancer specialist with USC Norris and lead investigator of the study. "These counter-intuitive findings raise important questions about an unknown environmental risk factor for lung cancer related to otherwise beneficial food that needs to be addressed."
Researchers Suspect Pesticide Exposure May Play a Role
The researchers emphasize that the foods themselves are not believed to be the problem. Instead, they suspect pesticide exposure could help explain the surprising pattern.
