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Better
Diet May Help
Prevent Breast Cancer
NEW
YORK (Reuters Health) - A diet rich in fruits and vegetables may
reduce a woman's risk of developing breast cancer, according to
researchers from New York University and the International Agency
for Research on Cancer in Lyon, France.
Only a handful
of previous studies have examined the link between vegetable intake
and breast cancer, and their results have been conflicting, according
to Dr. Paolo Toniolo, from New York University, and associates.
In a new study,
the researchers compared the blood levels of carotenoids in 270
women who developed breast cancer up to 11 years after the blood
samples were taken with the levels seen in 270 similar women who
remained cancer-free. Carotenoids are chemicals derived from vegetables
and fruits.
On average,
women who developed breast cancer had significantly lower levels
of a variety of carotenoids before they were diagnosed with cancer
than did women without breast cancer--11% to 21% lower, in fact,
according to the report in the June 15th issue of the American
Journal of Epidemiology.
Overall, those
women with the lowest blood levels of carotenoids were more than
twice as likely to develop breast cancer as those women with higher
levels.
This was particularly
true for beta-carotene, which is found in carrots and dark green
leafy vegetables, and alpha-carotene, found in carrots and tomato-based
vegetable juices.
The study
could not determine if diet was indeed responsible for a reduction
in breast cancer risk. It is possible that women with healthier
diets had other lifestyle factors that affected cancer risk.
However, the
authors do believe that diet may help reduce breast cancer risk.
``Our hypothesis
is that blood levels of carotenoids are an indicator of habitual
intake of vegetables and fruits, and that the protection from
breast cancer that we observe is the result of a diet rich in
these foods,'' Toniolo told Reuters Health. ``The fact that we
observe a protection not only for beta-carotene, but also for
other compounds, and for total carotenoids, seem to offer some
support to our theory.''
Toniolo's
advice? ``Eat as much fruits and vegetables as possible.''
SOURCE:
American Journal of Epidemiology 2001;153:1142-1147.
Reference
Source 89
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