Can Dietary Fiber Reduce the Risk of Breast Cancer?

A healthy diet is a precaution against a variety of diseases. And nutritionists say that the diet should include a portion of dietary fiber, especially for women who want to avoid the risk of breast cancer. Researchers have, over the decades, focused on the relation between dietary fiber and breast cancer.

Western and Asian diets were compared in such studies where it was found that breast cancer was rarer in Asian countries because the diet was higher in fiber and low on fat as compared to Western diets. The theory was that estrogen leads to the development of breast cancer. A low-fat high-fiber diet reduces the production of estrogen while simultaneously increasing the excretion of this hormone by the body. Dietary fiber may also lead to a reduction in the absorption of toxic chemicals and in this manner reduces the risk of breast cancer.

However, estrogen taken in low doses is seen to relieve the symptoms of menopause, and also decreases the risk of osteoporosis and heart disease.

Recently, researchers from the University of Leeds, who conducted a study on around 35,000 women, aged 35 to 69, found that if women ate at least 30 grams of fiber they halved their risk of developing breast cancer as compared to women who had 20 grams of fiber or less.

The researchers found that premenopausal women with breast cancer had a higher percentage of energy obtained from protein and also less total carbohydrate or sugar and dietary fiber, and vitamin C as compared with women without cancer. However, this effect was not seen among the postmenopausal women with cancer. The women in the study had a range of diets from being totally vegetarian to not eating red meat.

Vegetable, fruits, and whole grain foods, such as wholemeal bread that are rich with fiber will ward off breast cancer in premenopausal women.

Does this mean that women should automatically have diets that are low fat and fiber rich? Well, doctors say that such a diet would be good for overall health.

Dr. Colin Campbell of Cornell University states that some studies have indirectly connected the greater consumption of meat (high fat or high protein) with high cancer risk. Dr. Cade, who led the Leeds research, says that it is part of the general healthy eating habits to make sure that you are getting lots of fiber in your diet through breakfast cereals, bread, pasta, fruit, and vegetables.

Fiber is not the only ingredient in your diet that can reduce the risk of breast cancer but as the experts say, a diet rich in fiber is better for your health as a whole. So change your diet to reduce the fat in it and enhance the fiber portions.

(The studies conducted show a small decrease risk of breast cancer when linked to an increase in dietary fiber as people eat a wide variety of foods and separating the effects of any one single group of foods is difficult. Lifestyle factors and the location of research studies conducted also vary.)