Overview
- USC researchers reported at the American Association for Cancer Research meeting an observational link between healthier-than-average diets and lung cancer in adults under 50 who never smoked.
- The analysis drew on 187 cases from the Epidemiology of Young Lung Cancer Project, with most participants being women and never-smokers.
- Patients reported higher Healthy Eating Index scores than the U.S. average, a government measure of diet quality that reflects more fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains.
- The authors hypothesized that pesticide residues on conventionally grown produce could explain the pattern, noting plans to test blood and urine for exposure markers.
- Outside experts stressed the study is small, self-reported, and not peer-reviewed, and they urged people to keep eating produce while washing it or choosing organic if concerned.