New Study Finds Plant-Based Diets Play Critical Role In Breast Cancer
Survival
Main Category: Breast Cancer News
Article Date: 13 Jun 2007 - 0:00 PDT
A new study in the "Journal of Clinical Oncology" reinforces existing
evidence showing that women with breast cancer can greatly reduce
their risk of recurrence by eating a healthy plant-based diet rich in
fruits and vegetables and making other healthy lifestyle choices,
according to nutrition experts with The Cancer Project.
"Women coping with breast cancer deserve to know that plant-based
diets and regular exercise can spell the difference between life and
death," says Jennifer Reilly, R.D., senior nutritionist with The
Cancer Project. "In the battle against breast cancer, fruits,
vegetables, and other low-fat vegetarian foods may be our most
powerful weapons. Doctors must let women know that diet changes and
exercise can help them beat this terrible disease."
The new study, conducted by researchers with the University of
California, San Diego, tracked dietary patterns and exercise habits
among about 1,500 women who were diagnosed with early-stage breast
cancer between 1991 and 2000. It found that the death rate for women
who consumed a high-fiber diet rich in fruits and vegetables and
practiced good exercise habits was 44 percent lower than the rate for
women who exercised little and ate few plant-based foods.
There are more than 2 million breast cancer survivors in the United
States, but many of these women eat fewer than five servings of fruits
and vegetables a day, consume too much fat, and lead sedentary
lifestyles. But science has repeatedly shown that a plant-based diet
composed of legumes, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables can help
prevent cancer and cancer recurrence.
A 2005 National Cancer Institute study found that breast cancer
patients in the study who reduced their fat consumption lowered their
risk of tumor recurrence by as much as 42 percent. High-fat foods,
including beef, vegetable oils, and chicken, can boost the hormones
that promote cancer cell growth. But most plant-based foods are
naturally low fat and offer people a healthy way to stay slim.
Maintaining a healthy weight is another key to preventing cancer
recurrence.
In 1982, the National Research Council linked eating habits-
particularly high-fat, meat-heavy diets-to cancer of the breast and
other organs. The "Journal of the National Cancer Institute" recently
reported that the rate of breast cancer among premenopausal women who
ate the most animal (but not vegetable) fat was a third higher than
that of women who ate the least animal fat.
The Cancer Project is a collaborative effort of physicians,
researchers, and nutritionists who have joined together to educate the
public about the benefits of a healthy diet for cancer prevention and
survival. Based in Washington, D.C., The Cancer Project is an
affiliate of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine.
Cancer Project
http://www.CancerProject.org
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Plant-Based Diets and Breast Cancer Survival 
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