Daily Mail: News Source
Fibre-rich diet 'can halve the risk of breast cancer'
Dietary fibre can help protect against breast cancer in younger women...hand?
Last updated at 08:43am on 24th January 2007
Women can halve their risk of breast cancer by eating a diet rich in wholemeal bread and wholegrain cereal, researchers have claimed.
They said that dietary fibre - particularly cereal fibre - can help protect against the killer disease in younger women.
It gave no protection, however, to those who have gone through the menopause.
The Leeds University study suggested that women should eat at least 30 grams of fibre a day - the Government's recommended intake. Fibre can be found in everything from bran flakes to broccoli.
Professor Janet Cade, who conducted the study, said: "Previous research hasn't shown a convincing link between increased dietary fibre and a lower risk of breast cancer.
"But earlier studies didn't draw any distinction between pre- and post-menopausal women."
Her team, which was funded by the World Cancer Research Fund, came up with three possible causes for the link.
It said high fibre foods are rich in vitamins, zinc and other nutrients which have protective anti- oxidant properties.
Fibre can also 'smooth' out the peaks and troughs of insulin levels in the body and high levels are a possible cause of cancer.
Finally, dietary fibre reduces levels of the hormone oestrogen, which has been linked to breast cancer.
This would explain why a diet rich in fibre helps younger women who have higher levels of the hormone.
The Leeds researchers tracked the eating habits and health records of more than 35,000 women over seven years.
Of the group, 257 were premenopausal and developed breast cancer during the study. These had lower intakes of dietary fibre compared with the cancer-free women.
There was no significant difference in diet among the 350 post-menopausal women who developed the disease and those who did not.
The study, published in the International Journal of Epidemiology, was welcomed by Cancer Research UK,
Information officer Ed Yong said: "The study further highlights the importance of eating a healthy diet for reducing the risk of cancer."
Breast cancer kills more than 13,000 women a year in the UK.
