NABJ Panel Discusses Benefits of Eating Five to Nine Servings of Fruits and Vegetables a Day

The National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) 5 A Day for Better Health Program released a summary today emphasizing the link between diet and health in African-American men. The summary discusses the health disparities between black men and other racial/ethnic groups, the impact of eating habits, and how eating five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables a day as part of a healthy diet can reduce the risk of many diseases that disproportionately affect black men.

NCI sponsored a scientific panel titled “How Diet Affects Black Men’s Health” at the National Association of Black Journalists Convention in Milwaukee. “We want to let black men know that eating five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables a day can play a tremendous role in promoting health and reducing their risk for disease,” said Lorelei DiSogra, Ed.D., R.D., director of NCI’s 5 A Day for Better Health Program. “Black men need to know that they have the power to improve their health and prolong their lives.”

African-American men have the highest rates of prostate cancer and hypertension in the world and are twice as likely as white men to develop diabetes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report, “The Burden of Chronic Diseases and Their Risk Factors, 2002.” They also have higher rates of heart disease and obesity than other groups. And, African-Americans have the highest cancer incidence and mortality rates overall, as well as the highest rates for many specific cancers.

“There is a tremendous amount of disparity when it comes to comparing the cancer rates of black men to white men,’’ said Reed Tuckson, M.D., senior vice president of Consumer Health & Medical Care Advancement United Health Group. “African-Americans are also less likely to believe that diet can affect their risk for disease. Many reject messages about cancer prevention because of these attitudes.”

“Diet is a risk factor for many diseases that affect black men,” said DiSogra. “Hypertension, which affects millions of black men, can be reduced by improving diet. In a recent study, the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension Trial (DASH), black men had greater reductions in blood pressure than white men from eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables. Yet, in the general population, black men have the lowest consumption of fruits and vegetables.”

Data show that African-American men ages 35 to 50 eat only 3.5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day, approximately one-third of the nine servings recommended for men by national health authorities. Moreover, only 14 percent of African-Americans are even aware of the 5 A Day recommendation. The latest estimates show that consumption of fruits and vegetables is declining among African-American men.

In an effort to address this alarming trend, NCI is committed to reaching African-American men with the message to eat five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables a day through a multi-year communications effort. NCI will also partner with major African-American organizations and businesses and will sponsor a scientific panel during Congressional Black Caucus Week on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., next month.

“As a physician and an African-American, I am well aware of the health problems facing African-American men,” said Gary C. Dennis, M.D., chief of the department of neurosurgery at Howard University in Washington, D.C., and former president of the National Medical Association. “I urge all men to eat five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables a day to do what they can to take charge of their health.”

Another panel member, Gregory L. Moore, editor in chief of the Denver Post, said the media has a responsibility to report on the health disparity of African-Americans and to let African-American men know that eating five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables a day can help reduce their disease burden. “This is a story that the media should be covering much more broadly,” Moore said. “It affects the lives of millions of people, and it is our responsibility to do a better job of telling this very important story.”

Fruits and vegetables contain vitamins, minerals, fiber and thousands of phytochemicals that work together, as part of a healthy diet, to promote good health and to reduce the risk of disease. For example, researchers have identified specific phytochemicals such as lycopene, lutein, flavonoids, anthocyanins, indoles, and allium that act in different ways to protect health at the cellular level. Different colors of fruits and vegetables—green, yellow/orange, red, blue/purple, and white—are sources of different groups of phytochemicals with unique properties. According to DiSogra, “That’s why it’s important to eat a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables.”

Source from: http://www.blackpressusa.com/

For more information about cancer, please visit NCI’s Web site at http://cancer.gov.