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Eat: A Diet to Ward Off Breast Cancer
Eating substantial amounts of fruits and vegetables may lower the risk for breast cancer, a new study has found, and some kinds may be more effective than others.
Researchers used well-validated nutrition questionnaires to examine the association of diet with the risk of invasive breast cancer in 182,145 women. They followed them with periodic examinations for an average of 24 years, during which there were 10,911 cases of invasive breast cancer. The study is in the International Journal of Cancer.
After controlling for many health, diet and behavioral variables, the scientists found that compared with having less than two and a half servings (about one cup) of fruits and vegetables a day, having five and a half servings or more was associated with an 11 percent lower breast cancer risk. The effect was especially significant with the most aggressive types of breast cancer.
''There are few potentially modifiable risk factors for breast cancer,'' said the lead author, Maryam S. Farvid, a research scientist at Harvard, ''and eating more fruits and vegetables would be a simple way to help lower the risk.''
The researchers found that cruciferous vegetables like cauliflower, brussels sprouts and kale were especially strongly associated with reduced risk, as were yellow or orange vegetables including carrots, winter squash, yams and sweet potatoes.
Bakalar, Nicholas. "Eat: A Diet to Ward Off Breast Cancer." New York Times, 31 July 2018, p. D4(L). Health & Wellness Resource Center, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A548285773/HWRC? u=pwplsremote&sid=HWRC&xid=5c48640c. Accessed 20 Sept. 2018.
After controlling for many health, diet and behavior variables, the scientists found that
