While consuming a diet including fruits and vegetables provides a host of health benefits, it does not appear to decrease a woman's risk of breast cancer, according to a new report from the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, Massachusetts.
The study, published last week in The Journal of the American Medical Association, looked at eight previously published studies including more than 350,000 women. Overall, about 7,400 of the women developed breast cancer. The investigators found that women who consumed the highest amounts of fruits and vegetables were only 3% to 9% less likely to develop breast cancer than women who ate the fewest fruits and vegetables, but these results were not statistically meaningful. The researchers separately analyzed 17 different types of fruits and vegetables and could find none that helped protect against breast cancer.
Keep in mind that there are many health benefits to consuming a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, and women are better off continuing with current recommendations to consume five servings of fruits and vegetables each day. The benefits to health from eating at least five servings of fruits and vegetables per day likely include a reduction in risk for heart disease, other cancers (if not breast cancer), diabetes and obesity.
All research on this web site is the property of Leslie Beck Nutrition Consulting Inc. and is protected by copyright. Keep in mind that research on these matters continues daily and is subject to change. The information presented is not intended as a substitute for medical treatment. It is intended to provide ongoing support of your healthy lifestyle practices.