Seasonal consumption of salad vegetables and fresh fruit in relation to the development of cardiovascular disease and cancer

• Published in: Public health nutrition 2000-03, Vol.3 (1), p.19-29
• Main Authors: Cox, Brian D, Whichelow, Margaret J, Prevost, A Toby
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Cancer; Cardiovascular disease; Cardiovascular Diseases - mortality; Cardiovascular Diseases - prevention & control; Diet; Female; Fruit; Humans; Interviews as Topic; Male; Middle Aged; Neoplasms - mortality; Neoplasms - prevention & control; Odds Ratio; Risk Factors; Salad vegetables; Seasonality; Seasons; Surveys and Questionnaires; United Kingdom - epidemiology; Vegetables
• ISSN: 1368-9800; 1475-2727
• DOI: 10.1017/S1368980000000045

To investigate the protective association between seasonality of consumption of fresh fruit or salad vegetables and cancer and cardiovascular disease (CVD) development. Face-to-face interviews, including a food frequency questionnaire, were conducted on 1489 men and 1900 women, aged 35-75 years, who were respondents in the British Health and Lifestyle Survey 1984/85 (HALS1). CVD and cancer morbidity and mortality were determined from the 1991/92 British Health and Lifestyle Survey (HALS2) and by NHS Register 'flagging'. Risk was assessed by odds ratio (OR) for trend per frequency category. In men, frequent winter salad vegetable consumption was more closely protective than that in summer for cancer (winter OR=0.79 [0.62-0.99], P=0.045, summer OR=0.83 [0.69-1.01], NS) and CVD (winter OR=0.85 [0.72-1.00], P=0.049, summer OR=0.95 [0.82-1.10], NS). Fresh fruit consumption showed no significant protection. In women, frequent salad vegetable consumption at any season was significantly protective of CVD (winter OR=0.76 [0.65-0.89], P