How Does What We Eat Affect Breast Cancer Risk?

Research shows that what we eat can affect our cancer risk. However, it is not always clear which foods or dietary patterns are best for reducing cancer risk.

A new study presented by Sanam Shah and colleagues at the American Society for Nutrition's Nutrition 2022 Live Online meeting showed that diet quality may be the key to overall health.

This study, which included more than 65 thousand postmenopausal women followed for over 2 years, showed that those maintaining a healthy plant-based diet had a breast cancer risk that was 14% lower. An unhealthy plant-based diet (explained below), by contrast, was found to increase breast cancer risk by 20%, and these findings applied to all breast cancer subtypes.

Sanam Shah, a doctoral candidate at the Research Center, said, “These findings highlight that increasing the consumption of healthy plant foods and reducing animal foods may help prevent all types of breast cancer.”

• Related topic: How Should Patients with Breast Cancer Eat? During and After Treatment

Study Details

Previous studies have examined cancer risks associated with various dietary patterns, such as Western, Mediterranean, and vegetarian diets. Although some research suggests health benefits from diets containing less meat or no meat, the results are somewhat mixed. In this study, the researchers focused on distinguishing between healthy plant-based foods (whole grains, fruit, vegetables, nuts, legumes, and vegetable oils) and less healthy plant-based foods (fruit juices, refined grains, potatoes, sugary drinks, and desserts) by categorizing them separately.

Shah said, “What makes our study different is that we could disentangle the quality of plant foods, which was not the focus of previous studies.”

The researchers analyzed data from 65,574 postmenopausal women living in France who completed dietary intake questionnaires between 1993 and 2005 and were followed for an average of 21 years. During the study, 3,968 participants were diagnosed with breast cancer.

Comparing breast cancer rates among women with different diet quality revealed significant differences in cancer risk between those eating healthy and unhealthy diets.

The researchers used 18 food groups to classify the extent to which participants followed plant-based and animal-based diets and ate healthy and less healthy foods.

These findings highlight that increasing the consumption of healthy plant foods and reducing the consumption of less healthy plant foods and animal foods may help prevent all types of breast cancer.

In conclusion, choosing healthy plant-based foods appears beneficial for cancer prevention; however, more research is needed to assess the links between diet and cancer risk in different population groups.

*

• Related topic: What Is the Mediterranean Diet, the Healthiest Diet, and How Is It Followed?