The Best Diet for Prevention of Breast Cancer
An Eating Plan to Reduce the Risk of Mammary Gland Malignancies
Oct 24, 2009
With the lifetime risk of developing breast cancer being as high as one in seven, most women are concerned about reducing their risk of this common cancer. There are factors related to breast cancer risk that women have little control over such as family history, but there is one risk factor that most women can control and that's diet.
There's some evidence to suggest that what a woman eats can increase or decrease her risk of developing breast cancer. If this is the case, what is the best diet for breast cancer prevention?
The Best Diet for Breast Cancer Prevention: A Study
According to a new study published in the Journal of Epidemiology, the best diet for the prevention of breast cancer may be the Mediterranean diet. This study looked the dietary habits of 65,374 French women between the ages of 59 and 84 through use of a dietary questionnaire. The researchers controlled for risk factors such as family history and lifestyle habits so they could more closely zero in on the effects of diet. They followed this group of women for almost ten years to see which ones would develop breast cancer. The results? They found that women who conformed most closely to a Mediterranean diet had a lower overall risk of developing breast cancer. They emphasized that this effects was only seen in women who also didn't consume an excessive number of calories.
The Mediterranean Diet: What is It?
Could a Mediterranean diet really be the best diet for breast cancer prevention? The Mediterranean diet emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, and nuts. When meat is eaten, it's usually fish and it's served in limited quantities, in contrast to Western countries where meat is the main focus of the meal. They also use olive oil as their oil of choice, which is high in healthy monounsaturated fats. The breast cancer rate in countries that eat a Mediterranean style diet is generally much lower than the breast cancer rate in America. This difference is believed to be diet related, since people who migrate from these countries take on a similar breast cancer risk once they adopt an American style of diet.
More Benefits From a Mediterranean Diet?
A Mediterranean diet may not only be the best diet for prevention of breast cancer, but it may reduce the risk of other chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and even Alzheimer's disease. There are few disadvantages to adopting a Mediterranean diet with the exception of healthy foods being a little more expensive. When the potential for prevention of breast cancer and other chronic diseases is taken into consideration, the benefits may be well worth the extra cost.
Mediterranean Diet for Breast Cancer Prevention: The Bottom Line
The good news? To get the benefits of a Mediterranean diet for prevention of breast cancer doesn't require drastic changes in eating habits. Start by making subtle changes like substituting whole grain bread for white bread and cauliflower for potatoes. Instead of snacking on sweet desserts, choose fruit or a handful of nuts instead. Use olive oil whenever possible for preparing salad dressings and use it as a dip for bread in place of butter. Here are some tips on how to eat more vegetables. These small changes may not only reduce the risk of breast cancer, but of other diseases as well. It's a change well worth making.
References:
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