Chinese researchers found that eating white vegetables and fruits such as potatoes, cauliflower and cabbage may help decrease the risk of developing stomach cancer.

White vegetables and fruits are known to provide some nutrients such as potassium, magnesium and fiber in amounts higher than other colored and more attractive natural food items.

In a new study, white vegetables took the spotlight off the array of more enticing and colorful ones as it were discovered to play a vital role in cancer prevention.

Scientists from Zhejiang University in China performed the research by analyzing 76 excellent studies about stomach cancer and diet. The papers entailed more than 6.3 million participants and nearly 33,000 mortalities due to the disease.

After the investigations, the researchers found that for every 100 grams of white fruit (equivalent to half an apple) consumed per day, the risk of developing stomach cancer decreased by up to five percent.

Eating two potatoes, which is tantamount to having 50 milligrams of vitamin C per day, caused the risk of stomach cancer to plummet by up to eight percent.

The researchers were also able to discover food items that resulted in opposite effects. For example, five grams of salt increased the risk of stomach cancer by up to 12 percent.

Increased consumption of pickled vegetables, spinach and liver was also found to heighten the risk of the malignant disease.

Alcohol is another significant driver of increased stomach cancer risk however, wine was not found to have any impacts on the disease.

In the end, the authors highlighted the relationship of stomach cancer development and diet. "This study provides comprehensive and strong evidence that there are a number of protective and risk factors for gastric cancer in diet," they said.

The findings of the study may have strong implications to public health in terms of preventing stomach cancer and enhancing the design of present and future researches related to the topic.

Photo: Christian Guthier | Flickr