Study: Large Amounts of Fruits and Vegetables Cut Breast Cancer Risk

Women who eat large amounts of fruits and vegetables daily can cut their risk of breast cancer in half, according to Oregon Health and Science University researchers.

The researchers, reporting at the American Association for Cancer Research conference in Phoenix, said they found that women who eat at least four servings of fruits and vegetables each day have a 50 percent lower risk of breast cancer than women who consume no more than two servings.

"This study provides further evidence that low fruit and vegetable intake in the Western diet may be a major risk factor in developing breast cancer," said researcher Jackilen Shannon. "Women should modify their diet to include more fruits and vegetables to help prevent breast cancer."

In their study, the researchers compared the diets of 378 women with breast cancer to the diets of 1,070 cancer-free women living in Shanghai, China.

The researchers sought to determine if a single type of fruit or vegetable might produce the lower cancer risk, but said that did not seem to be the case.

Persimmon and lotus root were linked to a significantly reduced risk of breast cancer, but the researchers said the association was not as strong as that seen for the combination of all fruits and vegetables and might not be significant.

Along with the finding about fruits and vegetables, the researchers also found that eating at least six eggs a week was linked to a reduced risk of breast cancer. But they found no association between intake of soy and breast cancer risk.

Other Sources: Oregon Health and Science University