Eating More Fruits and Vegetables Could Put You at Risk for This Cancer

Eating more fruits and vegetables may come with an unexpected lung cancer risk due to pesticide residue on our foods, according to a new study.

While consuming fruits and vegetables has long been considered part of a healthy diet, researchers at USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center found that Americans under 50 who don’t smoke but follow healthier diets could be at a higher risk of developing lung cancer, according to Science Daily.

“Our research shows that younger non-smokers who eat a higher quantity of healthy foods than the general population are more likely to develop lung cancer,” said Dr. Jorge Nieva, a medical oncologist and lung cancer specialist, who led the study.

Nieva said these “counter-intuitive findings” raised questions for researchers, who then decided to look into pesticides used on food.

Non-organic fruits, vegetables and whole grains are more likely to have higher levels of pesticide residue compared to other foods, raising concern among researchers that pesticide exposure could be a hidden cause of cancer in young adults, Nieva said.