Objective: We analyzed the effect of fruit and vegetable intake on lung cancer risk in a population in northwest Spain.
Methods: We analyzed data from a hospital-based case-control study including 295 histologically confirmed cases and 322 controls. Controls were patients attending the hospital for minor surgery. There was a minimum age limit of 35 y and sampling was carried out on a sex-frequency basis.
Results: After adjustment for sex, age, tobacco use, and occupation, no protective effect of overall consumption of fruit was present (odds ratio 1.49, 95% confidence interval 0.81-2.73). Green leafy vegetables conferred a protective effect (odds ratio 0.50, 95% confidence interval 0.30-0.83).
Conclusion: These findings indicate that green leafy vegetables, rather than fruit, might have a genuine protective effect against lung cancer.