Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, July 22, 1993                   TAG: 9307220005
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: BOSTON                                LENGTH: Short

VITAMIN A MAY LESSEN CANCER RISK

The researchers found that women who average less than one serving a day of foods loaded with this vitamin have about a 20 percent higher than usual risk of breast cancer.

Eating just one or two servings a day is enough to eliminate the elevated risk. But taking larger amounts of vitamin A does not appear to reduce the risk further.

Orange, green and yellow vegetables are generally good sources of vitamin A. Among the best, besides spinach and carrots, are sweet potatoes, cantaloupes and yellow squash. Some animal foods, such as milk and liver, also contain plenty of this vitamin.

The study, directed by Dr. David J. Hunter, was published in today's issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

The researchers surveyed the eating habits of 89,494 female nurses in 1980. During eight years of follow-up, 1,439 of them developed breast cancer. The study looked for links between their diet and their cancer risk.

The researchers separated the women into four levels of vitamin A consumption, ranging from less than 6,630 international units in the lowest group to more than 17,640 in the highest.

They found no difference in breast cancer risk in the women in the three highest categories of vitamin A intake, but a 20 percent increased risk in those with the lowest consumption. Only women who got very little vitamin A in their daily diet benefited from taking vitamin supplements.