Fall Creek Chiropractic Center

Description

a day could cut their risk of breast cancer by 52 percent, says a UK-based epidemiological study. In a study of 35,792 women aged 35 to 69, it was found that high fiber intake, particularly fibers from cereal and fruit, was associated with a significant reduction in the risk of breast cancer among pre-menopausal women. No such protective effect was observed in post-menopausal women, however. “Previous research hasn't shown a convincing link between increased dietary fiber and a lower risk of breast cancer. But earlier studies didn't draw any distinction between pre- and post-menopausal women. Our study found no protective effect in the older group, but significant evidence of a link in the pre-menopausal women, ” said lead author Janet Cade from the University of Leeds. Over one million women worldwide are diagnosed with breast cancer every year, with the highest incidences in the US and the Netherlands. China has the lowest incidence and mortality rate of the disease. The National Cancer Institute estimates that 13 percent of American women will develop breast cancer during their lives. The UK Women's Cohort Study (UKWCS) assessed dietary intakes of the women using a self-administered 217-item food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Over a mean follow-up of 7.5 years, 350 cases of invasive breast cancer were diagnosed in post-menopausal women and 257 cases in pre-menopausal women. After dividing the women into five groups (quintiles) according to their fiber intakes, the researchers calculated that an average daily intake of 30 grams or more of total fiber was associated with a 52 percent lower risk of breast cancer in pre-menopausal women, compared to pre-menopausal women with a daily intake of 20 grams or less. The average person in the UK is reported to eat about 12 grams a day. Strong relationships were also observed for cereal and fruit fiber intakes. The upper quintile of cereal fiber intake (13 or more grams per day) was associated with a 41 percent breast cancer risk reduction, compared to the lowest quintile intake (four or less grams), while 6 or more grams per day of fruit fiber was associated with a 29 percent breast cancer risk reduction, compared to two or less grams per day. “This is the first large prospective study to show a relationship between total fiber intake and risk of pre-menopausal breast cancer, ” wrote Cade in the International Journal of Epidemiology. “Our results are particularly informative because they also show that fiber from cereals and potentially also from fruit may be the important sources of fiber resulting in this inverse relationship with breast cancer pre-menopausally, ” she wrote. The researchers suggested several possible reasons for the apparent risk reductions amongst pre-menopausal women, including a potential role for antioxidant nutrients in high fiber foods that have protective properties against reactive oxygen species (ROS). They also suggested that fiber may smooth out the peaks and troughs in insulin levels in the body, with high insulin levels being proposed as a potential cause of cancer.

Products & services

Similar companies nearby