Monday June 9, 2008 (foodconsumer.org) -- A Finnish study suggests that high intake of flavonoids particularly flavonol and flavan-3-ols may reduce risk of developing lung cancer in current and previous smokers.

However, the potential preventative effect of flavonoids was not found associated with the risk of prostate cancer and colorectal cancer.

For the study, researchers followed 2,590 middle-aged eastern Finnish men of prospective population-based Kuopio Ischemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study for 16.2 years for their rates of cancer and dietary habits.

The mean intake of flavonoids was 131 mg per day.   During the follow-up, 62 cases of lung cancer, 38 prostate cancer cases and 55 colorectal cancer cases were recorded.

All the cancer cases occurred in either current smokers or previous smokers.

Those who had highest intake of flavonoids were 73 percent less likely to have lung cancer.

Of five subclasses of flavonoids, highest intake of flavonols and flavan-3-ols was linked to a 71 percent reduced risk and a 76 percent reduced risk of lung cancer respectively.

But no association was observed between intake of flavonoids and risk of prostate cancer or colorectal cancer.

Source:

Int J Cancer. 2008 Aug 1;123 (3):660-3.

Intake of flavonoids and risk of cancer in Finnish men: The Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study.Mursu J, Nurmi T, Tuomainen TP, Salonen JT, Pukkala E, Voutilainen S.

Research Institute of Public Health, School of Public Health and Clinical Nutrition, University of Kuopio, Kuopio, Finland.