Eat more vegetables and fruits to reduce the risk of breast cancer

Consuming a large amount of fruits and vegetables can reduce the risk of breast cancer for women, especially for aggressive tumors, according to a new study

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News – Jul. 2018): Consuming a large amount of fruits and vegetables can put women at a lower risk of breast cancer, especially aggressive tumors, said a new study.

The results suggest that women in study participants who ate more than 5.5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day had a risk of breast cancer 11% lower than those who did not consume only 2.5 servings or less.

The researchers also found that higher consumption of fruits and vegetables was particularly associated with a lower risk of more aggressive tumors, including ER-negative, HER2-enriched and basal tumors.

Cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, yellow and orange vegetables had a particularly significant association with the risk of lower breast cancer, suggests the study published in the International Journal of Cancer.

This suggests that other constituents of these foods, such as antioxidants and other micronutrients, may also be important in reducing the risk of breast cancer.

"Although previous studies have suggested an association, they have been limited in potency, particularly for some aggressive fruits and vegetables and subtypes of breast cancer," said Harvard author Maryam Farvid

H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston.

"This research provides the most complete picture of the importance of consuming large amounts of fruits and vegetables for the prevention of breast cancer," added Farvid.

For the study, the researchers analyzed the diet questionnaires submitted every four years by participants in the study on the health of nurses (88,301 women) and the study on the nurses' health II (93,844 women).

Researchers also conducted a tumor hormone receptor status and molecular subtype analysis to determine whether the benefits of fruit and vegetable consumption differed among breast cancer types.

half a cup of raw or cooked vegetables or chopped or cooked fruits.

Previous studies have found a link between fiber intake and breast cancer risk, but the benefits of fruits and vegetables seem to be independent of their fiber. content, the researchers noted.