December 13, 2004 – Putting oranges and bananas on baby’s menu during the first two years of life would help reduce the risk of developing leukemia. Making him drink orange juice would also provide him with protection, but to a lesser extent.
From an epidemiological study1 which has been underway in California since 1995 and which focuses on leukemia in children, scientists sought to find out which foods, eaten in the first years of life, were most likely to prevent the onset of leukemia in the children.
After selecting 328 children who, from zero to two years of age, were in good health, they interviewed their mother in addition to submitting a questionnaire on each child’s diet. For analysis, the researchers grouped the foods into nine categories: hot dogs / meats, hamburgers / beef, vegetables, oranges / bananas, apples / grapes, orange juice, other fruit juices, milk, soft drinks.
Then, they correlated this data with whether or not leukemia occurred in these children, when they were between two and five years old. They found that the combined consumption of oranges and bananas seemed to offer protection against leukemia. It would be the same for orange juice, but to a lesser extent. They also noted that consuming hot dogs – which does not occur until the first year of life – did not increase the risk of leukemia.
The researchers come to the conclusion that foods rich in vitamin C (ascorbic acid) and potassium represent a promising avenue in the prevention of leukemia in children. They postulate that these two elements could interact positively in this sense, studies having shown that vitamin C promotes the absorption of potassium intracellularly.
Leukemia is a type of cancer that can take many different forms. It is characterized by a proliferation of white blood cells (leukocytes) in the bone marrow, which disrupts the formation of the main blood components, including red blood cells. Leukemia cells can also invade certain organs.
Martin LaSalle – PasseportSanté.net
1. Kwan ML, Block G, Selvin S, Month S, Buffler PA, Food consumption by children and the risk of childhood acute leukemia, American Journal of Epidemiology, 1er December 2004, Vol. 160, No 11, 1098-107.
