Study: High-Fiber, Low-Fat Diet Cuts Breast Cancer Risk

A high-fiber, low-fat diet appears to significantly reduce the risk of postmenopausal breast cancer, according to Swedish researchers.

The team from the University of Malmo investigated the link between intakes of plant foods, fiber and fat and the risk of breast cancer in more than 11,700 postmenopausal women.

Those with the highest intake of fiber had a 40 per cent lower risk of breast cancer than those with the lowest intake, they reported in the British Journal of Cancer. And those who combined high fiber with a low fat diet had the lowest risk of all, they added.

The researchers found was no significant association between breast cancer risk and intakes of any of the plant food subgroups.

"These findings support the hypothesis that a dietary pattern characterised by high fiber and low fat intakes is associated with a lower risk of postmenopausal breast cancer," the researchers concluded.

Other Sources: British Journal of Cancer