Cervical cancer is a significant problem for minority women, especially among Native American women.

A recent report in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention (Vol. 10: 1219-1222) suggested that diets improved with carotenoids, may help minority women reduce their risk of developing cervical cancer. Carotenoids are vitamins found in such foods as carrots, tomatoes, broccoli, spinach, peaches, oranges, and cantaloupes.

Possibly because of their diets, which do not have adequate amounts of fresh fruits and vegetables, Native American women in the Southwest are at unusually high risk for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN), a pre-cancerous spot that can occur before cervical cancer develops.

The results of this study suggest that, if their diets could be improved, it may help these women reduce their risk of developing a pre-cancerous disease and reduce further their risk of cervical cancer.

The researchers, led by Melissa Schiff, MD, at the University of Washington in Seattle, and colleagues determined blood levels of these carotenoids in 160 Native American women without CIN, and 81 similar women who did have CIN. Most of the women were between 22 and 30 years old.

They found that as vitamin levels in the blood decreased, the risk of CIN increased.

For two of the carotenoids studied, those women with the highest levels in their blood had a 60% decreased risk of CIN. Unlike other reported studies, this report did not find a decreased risk of CIN with higher levels of lycopene, a carotenoid found in tomatoes and other vegetables.

The authors concluded, "Our findings add to the growing body of evidence indicating diets high in fruits and vegetables (and carotenoids in food) reduce the risk of several cancers."