A recent article on NPR.org reported on a major nine-year ten-country European study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute investigating the link between the incidence of cancer and the intake of vegetables and fruits.

The title of the article "Fruits and Veggies Prevent Cancer? Not So Much, It Turns Out", while essentially correct, is unfortunate as it conveys, intentionally or not, a false impression that fruits and vegetables are not all they are cracked up to be.  Considering that most people only read a few paragraphs into a story, that is if we're lucky enough for them to read the story at all, most people will miss the crucial part at the end of story...

A 2004 study in the JNCI found that eating five servings of fruits and vegetables a day is associated with a 28 percent lower risk of heart disease and stroke, compared to people who eat fewer than 1.5 servings a day.

So it's likely a significant number of people are now going to be discouraged from upping their fruit and vegetable intake because they'll absorb the message "fruits and veggies don't prevent cancer" and miss "fruits and veggies significantly lower heart disease and stroke", two of the most significant killers.  They'll think the health benefits of fruits and vegetables have been exaggerated and won't bother to include more in their meals.

Don't fall prey to this mentality.  If you read a news story or article concerning eating and health, take the time to read the entire story, look up the links of the quoted studies and do a bit of research.  Your health is one of the most if not the most important part of your life.  Invest the time to become informed and don't let Twitter-length info blobs become the main source of your knowledge.