Good news about lung cancer

There's no way to completely reverse the damage that smoking does, but a vitamin-rich diet with lots of leafy greens and folic acid may offer some protection against lung cancer in smokers and ex-smokers, according to preliminary research from the Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute.

In the study, more than 1,100 people answered questions about their diets and coughed up cells for analysis. Researchers then evaluated participants' cells to see whether key cancer-protective genes had been switched off, a common feature of lung cancers.

Scientists saw fewer of these changes in people who took multivitamin supplements and ate lots of leafy greens, which are rich in vitamin C, carotenoids, lutein, folic acid, and vitamins A and K. Still, your best bet is to eat a diet with plenty of fresh greens, such as spinach, bok choy and kale, rather than to take big doses of supplements, which may lack vital elements that are found only in plants, says the American Institute for Cancer Research.

Of course, the best way to reduce the risk of cancer -- as well as heart disease and stroke -- is to stop smoking completely.