Business Week reports that a recent study has found that a strong, balanced diet of fruits and vegetables can benefit individuals who are prone to lung cancer, even those who smoke. Among those who participated in the experiment, the group who maintained this diet had a 27 percent lower chance of being afflicted with a common type of lung cancer.

"First and foremost, the best way to reduce one’s risk of lung cancer is to quit smoking. That is of paramount importance," principal investigator Dr H. Bas Bueno-de-Mesquita told the news provider. However, he noted that many people are unable or prefer not to quit and he hopes that these findings help them combat cancer.

This specific diet of fruits and vegetables is more varied than ordinary servings of broccoli at one meal and an apple at another. To see these health benefits, the participants had to consume a wide variety of foods – berries, melons, cabbage, cauliflower, eggplant, and more. There were approximately 40 types of fruits and vegetables used in the experiment.

The study included over 450,000 European adults from 10 different countries, all of whom filled out questionnaires that specified dietary habits, medical history, fitness level and drug use.