Fruit and vegetable consumption associated with reduced risk of epithelial ovarian cancer in southern Chinese women

• First report on fruit and vegetable intake and ovarian cancer in southern China
• High fruit and vegetable consumption appears protective against ovarian cancer.
• Intakes of nutrients derived from fruits and vegetables are inversely associated with ovarian cancer risk.

ObjectiveTo investigate the association between fruit and vegetable consumption and the risk of epithelial ovarian cancer in southern Chinese women.MethodsA case–control study was undertaken in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, between 2006 and 2008. Participants were 500 incident ovarian cancer patients and 500 hospital-based controls. Information on habitual fruit and vegetable consumption was obtained by face-to-face interview using a validated and reliable food frequency questionnaire. Unconditional logistic regression analyses were performed to assess the association between fruit and vegetable intakes and the ovarian cancer risk.ResultsThe mean fruit and vegetable daily intakes of ovarian cancer patients (324.2 g (SD 161.9) and 582.7 g (SD 250.2)) were significantly lower (p < 0.001) than those of controls (477.3 g (SD 362.1) and 983.3 g (SD 739.9)). The adjusted odds ratios were 0.30 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.21 to 0.44) and 0.07 (95% CI 0.04 to 0.12) for more than 490 g of fruits and 970 g of vegetables per day, relative to at most 320 g and 690 g per day, respectively. With the exception of lycopene, substantial risk reductions were evident for a variety of nutrients derived from fruits and vegetables.ConclusionConsumption of fruits and vegetables was inversely associated with the incidence of epithelial ovarian cancer in southern Chinese women.