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Lung Cancer

Research published by University of Hawaii researchers in 2000, showed that an increased consumption of quercetin (a photochemical flavonoid found most abundantly in apples and onions) was associated with a reduced risk of lung cancer. The case-control study, involving 1200 participants, found a statistically significant inverse association between lung cancer risk and intake of quercetin and the flavonoid naringin, found in white grapefruit. No association was found for food sources of other flavonoids.

Additional research from Finland's National Public Health Institute reports that consumption of a flavonoid-rich diet – and particularly flavonoid-rich apples – was associated with a reduced risk of developing cancer. Their prospective study of 9,959 cancer-free Finnish men and women, revealed that people who regularly consumed the most flavonoid-rich foods (apples, onions, fruits, juices, vegetables and jams) over a 24-year study period, were about 20 percent less likely to develop cancer. Researchers found that lung cancer was 46 percent lower among those whose diets contained the highest amount of flavonoids, particularly from apples. Of the major dietary flavonoid sources, apples showed the greatest inverse association with lung cancer incidence.