The cancer fighting properties of fruit and vegetables continue to be debated with the findings of a new survey.

The study of a quarter of a million European women found that eating fresh produce did not protect against breast cancer.

The findings, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, flies in the face of other research, which has suggested fruit and vegetable consumption did reduce the risk.

The current study, by the University Medical Centre in Utrecht, looked at 285,526 women, 25 to 70 years old, from eight European countries over five years.

During the follow up period, after the study, 3,659 invasive breast cancer cases were reported, but there was no association between fruit and vegetable intake and risk of breast cancer.

This lack of an association was seen in almost all the countries involved, the authors said.

However, critics have pointed out the study focuses only on adults while breast cancer risk may be more dependent on a woman’s diet during adolescence.

The research is the second publication to cast doubts on the cancer fighting powers of fruit and veg. A recent study by the Harvard School of Public Health said fresh produce helped decrease the risk of heart disease but not cancer.

The news comes as Cancer Research UK launched a new campaign - Reduce the Risk - to encourage people to make lifestyle changes.

It conducted a poll which showed 67 per cent of the 4,000 people surveyed did not know a diet low in fruit and veg could increase the risk of cancer.

However, it’s not all bad news, and the authors of the latest study urge people not to avoid fruit and veg: “Although the findings for fruit and vegetable consumption and breast cancer risk may be disappointing, there are indications that it may be protective for developing stomach cancer, esophageal cancer, head and neck tumors and possibly colorectal and lung tumors.

“Furthermore, fruit and vegetable consumption has been shown to lower blood pressure and the risk of heart disease, therefore there are enough reasons to keep eating lots of fruit and vegetables.”

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