Benefits of High Fiber Diet on Breast Cancer Risk

Last week my closest confidants reminded me of what is important in my messaging: simply stating the foods that reduce breast cancer risk. High-fiber foods are a staple in a preventative breast cancer diet…

High fiber diet and breast cancer

INTRODUCTION

Last week my closest confidants reminded me of what is important in my messaging: simply stating the foods that reduce breast cancer risk. High-fiber foods are a staple in a preventative breast cancer diet for females. Why?

• There are many health benefits to fiber (starting with relieving constipation!)
• A high-fiber diet has been found to reduce the risk of cancer by 14%
• A high-fiber diet is also a diet with a lot of fruits and vegetables, which reduces the risk of cancer and heart disease

THE FACTS

11% reduction in breast cancer by eating 5.5 servings or more of fruits and vegetables a day

1. • This was shown in the Nurse’s Health Study (88,000 women) and Nurse’s Health Study II (over 93,000 women), which followed the lifestyle habits of women since 1980 and 1991, respectively
   • The study found that women who ate 5.5 or more servings of fruits and vegetables daily had an  11% lower risk of breast cancer compared to women who ate 2.5 servings or less
   • Eating more than 4 servings a week of both orange/yellow and cruciferous vegetables had a 17% reduction in breast cancer (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ijc.31653)

5% reduction in breast cancer risk with every 10 grams of dietary fiber you eat

1. 1. • This dose response (i.e., as the dose increases, the outcome is affected) continues for every 10- gram fiber increase https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/94/3/900/4411871)

24% reduction of breast cancer in adolescent females

1. • This 24% reduction is the risk of pre-menopausal breast cancer
   • The lifetime risk of breast cancer drops 16% for adolescents and young women eating a high-fiber diet (https://www.cbsnews.com/news/high-fiber-diet-may-lower-breast-cancer-risk/)