http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/20050303/world.htm#5
Eat apples to keep breast cancer at bay

London, March 2
The age-old adage, an apple a day keeps the doctor away, seems to hold
true even in the case of breast cancer, says a new study by Cornell
University.

"We found that tumour incidence was reduced by 17, 39 and 44 per cent
in rats fed the human equivalent of one, three or six apples a day,
respectively, over 24 weeks," says Rui Hai Liu, Cornell associate
professor of food science and lead author of the study.

"Studies increasingly provide evidence that it is the additive and
synergistic effects of the phytochemicals present in fruits and
vegetables that are responsible for their potent antioxidant and
anticancer activities," Liu says.

"Our findings suggest that consumers may gain more significant health
benefits by eating more fruits and vegetables and whole grain foods
than in consuming expensive dietary supplements, which do not contain
the same array of balanced, complex components," says Liu.

He notes that the thousands of phytochemicals in foods vary in
molecular size, polarity and solubility, which could affect how they
are absorbed and distributed in different cells, tissues and organs.

"This balanced natural combination of phytochemicals present in fruits
and vegetables cannot simply be mimicked by dietary supplements," he
explained.

Furthermore, Liu notes that the health benefits of consuming fruits
and vegetables extend beyond lowering the risk of developing cancers
and cardiovascular diseases to include preventive effects for other
chronic diseases, such as cataracts, age-related macular degeneration,
central neurodegenerative disease and diabetes. — ANI