Eating a low-fat diet is known to help the heart, but now there's evidence it may also have a positive effect on certain types of breast cancer. Recent studies have found that individuals with breast cancer who stick to a low-fat eating plan have a lower risk of breast cancer and/or breast cancer reoccurrence. These studies show that lifestyle change—namely lowering dietary fat intake—can have a favorable effect on breast cancer outcome. The research didn't advocate any particular brand of diet, just as long as it was low in fat intake.
In one study, after about 5 years of following a study group of women on a low-fat diet, there was evidence that women with estrogen-negative (ER-negative) tumors had lowered their risk of recurrence by 42%. The low-fat diet did not significantly lower recurrence risk in women with ER-positive tumors. For some background on breast cancer, ER-negative tumors do not have estrogen receptors and therefore do not respond to hormonal treatments like tamoxifen or aromatase inhibitors. That makes them more difficult to treat than hormone-sensitive tumors (also called ER-positive tumors).
The idea that fat intake might affect breast cancer is linked to the knowledge that fat affects estrogen production, and estrogen fuels breast cancer. But the low-fat diet only seemed to impact women with estrogen-negative tumors, suggesting other mechanisms play a role in breast cancer.
If these results are confirmed in more additional trials, reduction of dietary fat intake could be considered part of the management of breast cancer in postmenopausal women. These individuals would then have an additional option within their control for reducing the risk of breast cancer recurrence.
There is no reason to wait to follow a low-fat diet. A low-fat diet should consist of no more than 30% of total calories from fat. High-fat foods include cheese, red meat, sausages, butter, cream sauces, and fried foods. Instead, choose reduced fat or fat-free dairy foods and lean meats like salmon, tuna, chicken, and other white fish. Lastly, don’t forget to add a variety of fruits and vegetables which contain powerful antioxidants that can reduce the risk of cancer.
Next week I will take a look at the estrogen effects of foods and the prevention of breast cancer.
Rebecca
