when it comes to the The best eating habit to reduce the risk of cancer., opting for a diet that does not depend on meat could be the way to go. However, it turns out that there is a specific type of plant-based diet that is ideal for helping you avoid breast cancer.
During NUTRITION 2022, the recent annual meeting of the American Society for Nutrition, the research being presented broke down the results of a study involving information from 65,574 participants that was collected between 1993 and 2014, for Medscape. The data showed that those who ate less meat were 14% less likely to develop breast cancer. However, that only applied to participants who followed a healthy, mostly plant-based diet. Others who ate plant-based diets but also consumed unhealthy foods and beverages saw a 20% increased risk of breast cancer.
“The results suggest that the best plant based diet for breast cancer prevention could be a healthy plant-based diet that includes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and legumes,” said study lead author Sanam Shah, MBBS, FCPS, MPHPhD candidate in epidemiology at Paris-Saclay University, France.
At the same time, Shah added that “an unhealthy plant-based diet comprising a higher intake of primarily processed plant-based products such as refined grains, fruit juicesweets, desserts and potatoes, would be worse for the prevention of breast cancer.
“These findings add to a body of evidence showing that highly refined foods such as French fries, potato chips and juices, while vegetarian, lack many of the nutrients that contribute to lower cancer risk, such as fiber, vitamins and minerals, and phytonutrients,” Elizabeth Ward, MS, RDNand co-author of The Menopause Diet Plan, A Natural Guide to Hormones, Health, and Happiness He says Eat this, not that!
Ward also notes that a “well-planned, balanced plant-based diet reduces cancer risk by providing significant amounts of antioxidant vitamins and minerals, fiber, and phytonutrients, protective compounds found only in fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes.” , foods and grains from soybeans and other plants”. In turn, “antioxidants in plant foods help protect cells from turning into tumors.”
As Ward explains that food and beverage options like potato chips and juices “aren’t necessarily ‘bad,'” she explains, “not at the top of my cancer-fighting list because they’re so refined.”
“For example, a baked potato provides fiber and other nutrients, as well as phytonutrients, and is low in fat, while French fries have very few, if any, protective nutrients and are relatively high in fat,” says Wards. On top of that, “eating a lot of highly refined plant foods can crowd out other, more nutritious options that provide cancer-fighting nutrients.” Finally, Ward says that “the other problem is calories,” since “too many foods that are relatively high in calories can lead to being overweight, which is associated with certain forms of breast cancer.”
To learn more about how your diet can help you avoid disease, be sure to read The 50 Worst Foods You Should Never Eat If Cancer Runs In Your Family.
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Desiree O
Desirée O is a freelance writer who covers lifestyle, food and nutrition news, among other topics. read more
