A healthy diet rich in fruits and vegetables and low in processed and refined foods has been linked to a reduced risk of many cancers. The World Cancer Research Fund UK (WCRF UK), a charity dedicated to cancer prevention, estimate that lifestyle factors such as being overweight, eating an unhealthy diet and being inactive are responsible for about a third of all cancers in developed countries. Their website is full of interesting information and recipes and certainly worth a visit.
A very recent review study (1) looked at the association of food and nutrient interactions and the risk of breast cancer. The authors critically reviewed the published medical literature regarding breast cancer and diet to see if they could clarify the relationship between dietary patterns and breast cancer risk. In total they looked at the results of 18 studies that included more than 400,000 women. Unsurprisingly they found that a healthy diet was linked to a reduced risk of breast cancer. They also found that an increase in the risk of breast cancer was shown for the highest compared to the lowest category of drinker dietary pattern. This was just an association study so cannot prove that healthy eating reduces the risk of breast cancer but it certainly points researchers in the right direction for future research.
Women cannot change their genetic/family history links to breast cancer but we can all take control of our diet and drinking habits. The research mentioned above (1) indicates that a diet rich in vegetables, fruits and wholegrains and low in alcohol could reduce the risk of breast cancer. Dietary patters are a potential modifiable risk factor and that is really good news since breast cancer affects many women worldwide. Foods are consumed together and so looking at dietary patterns in a holistic way, rather than at specific isolated nutrients, is a realistic way of beginning to investigate the links between diet and cancer prevention.
Further research in this field is certainly necessary and would be very welcome. It is not yet specifically known how a healthful diet might lower breast cancer risk. The link between high alcohol consumption and increased breast cancer risk is slightly better understood, oestrogen levels are higher in postmenopausal women who drink alcohol and a higher lifetime exposure to estrogen has been tentatively linked to breast cancer. Again a lot more research would be needed before any firm conclusions can be drawn.
Consuming a healthful, balanced, diet rich in vegetables, fruits, wholegrains, oily fish and unprocessed/unrefined foods is a great idea for many health-related reasons. Such a diet could reduce the risk of heart disease, diabetes, certain cancers and many other conditions. Please visit the world cancer research fund’s website for more information about cancer prevention through diet and lifestyle choices.
(1)Brennan SF et al. 2010. Dietary patterns and breast cancer risk: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Am J Clin Nutr. 2010 Mar 10. [Epub ahead of print]
Written by Ani Kowal
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