(WRIC) — A new study is linking citrus fruit to higher skin cancer risks.
Using data from two long-term studies of women and men, the study found that citrus can lead to a larger risk of melanoma or skin cancer. The study was published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
The 25-year study found that melanoma risk increased as citrus consumption increased, rising to a 36 percent increase in risk for people who ate the fruits more than 1.5 times per day, on average. Of the citrus fruits, grapefruit seemed to have the strongest association with melanoma.
Researchers found that those who drank juices were at a higher risk than those who ate whole fruit.
Don’t toss your favorite citrus fruit, though! Researchers say that variety is actually the key to maintaining a healthy and balanced diet and more work will be needed to confirm the connection.
“Further investigation is needed to confirm our findings and explore related health implications,” a note in the study’s abstract says.
Click here to read more from the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
