People who eat more fruits have lower risk of a wide range of cancers. This probably reflects combined protection from many different nutrients and compounds they contain.

Short-term human intervention trials with cherries most often involve tart, rather than sweet, cherries. Most, but not all, have been randomized controlled trials that included use of placebos. With daily consumption of cherries, cherry juice or dried cherry powder, many demonstrated reductions in markers of oxidative stress and inflammation. Beyond the influence of overall fruit consumption in large population studies, more research is needed to understand the impact of cherry consumption on cancer risk.

Dietary Fiber: Observational population studies link high dietary fiber consumption with reduced risk of colorectal cancer.One meta-analysis of 16 prospective studies also links dietary fiber with lower risk of breast cancer. However, analysis for the AICR/WCRF Third Expert Report considered potential for an association of dietary fiber and this and several other cancers, and found the evidence too limited to support a conclusion.

Vitamin C: Population studies comparing people with higher and lower levels of vitamin C in their diets, and especially levels circulating in their blood, link higher amounts with lower overall risk of cancer. This effect is larger when comparing people with very low levels to moderately increased levels than comparing people with moderate and much higher levels. Higher levels of vitamin C from foods are linked with lower risk of lung cancer among people who smoke tobacco, although not in those who used to smoke or who have never smoked. People with more vitamin C in their diet are also less likely to develop colon cancer. That’s even after adjusting for other risk factors for colon cancer, such as alcohol, red meat and tobacco. Evidence for both lung and colon cancer is rated as Limited Suggestive in the AICR/WCRF Third Expert Report, and more research is needed.

Polyphenol compounds: Higher levels of anthocyanins in the diet were strongly associated with lower levels of markers of inflammation, and flavonols and flavan-3-ols were linked with lower levels of oxidative stress in cross-sectional analysis of a large population study.