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High fibre diet lowers breast cancer risk

31 January 2007

A recent study has shown that eating more fibre, particularly cereal foods, is associated with a lower risk of developing breast cancer in pre-menopausal women.

How was the study carried out?

Research from the University of Leeds Centre for Epidemiology and Biostatistics examined the eating habits of 35,792 women with a range of different diets. At the start of the study 45 percent of the women were pre-menopausal whilst 55 percent were post-menopausal. The women were aged between 35-69 years.

Their eating habits were assessed using a 217 item food questionnaire over a three year period. Their health was then monitored by a series of follow-ups.

What did the researchers find?

The results, published in the International Journal of Epidemiology, suggest that dietary fibre has a protective effect against breast cancer in pre-menopausal women, especially fibre from cereals and possibly fibre from fruit. However, the same effects were not seen in post-menopausal women. No association was found between the amount of fibre eaten and the development of breast cancer after the menopause.

Researchers believe these findings may be due to a number of factors. Firstly, high fibre foods are rich in vitamins and other micro-nutrients which may have protective properties.

Secondly, high insulin levels are thought to be a possible cause of cancer, fibre can stabilise these levels in the body.

Finally, there is a link between breast cancer and the female hormone oestrogen. Pre-menopausal women naturally have more oestrogen in their body than post-menopausal women. Dietary fibre has been shown to regulate oestrogen levels in the body. The researchers believe this may explain why the effects of increased fibre intake were only seen in pre-menopausal women and not in post-menopausal women.

Who is at risk of breast cancer?

Almost 44,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer in the UK each year. The disease mainly affects women. However, approximately 300 men are also diagnosed each year.

The cause of breast cancer isn't fully understood at present. It is thought to be caused by a complex interaction between genes, lifestyle and environment. Certain factors have been identified that make it more or less likely that a person will develop breast cancer - these factors are listed below.

Age is a factor; about 80 percent of women diagnosed with breast cancer are over 50.
A family history of breast cancer may increase the risk.
Faulty genes may be inherited making it more likely that breast cancer will develop.
If cancer has already been present in one breast, there is an increased risk of developing a new cancer in the other breast.
Periods starting before age of 12 increases the risk.
Entering the menopause after 55 years of age doubles the risk.
Medical treatments using older methods of radiotherapy, eg for Hodgkin's disease, can increase the risk.
Taking the pill or HRT increases the risk of breast cancer slightly (while the risk of other cancers is reduced).
Women who have their first pregnancy after the age of 30, or if they don't have children, have a higher risk.
Breastfeeding reduces the risk of developing breast cancer.
Diets that are high in animal fat and alcohol have been shown to be associated with breast cancer.

How much fibre reduces the risk?

Most people don't eat enough fibre. In the UK the average person eats 12g of fibre a day, the recommended amount of fibre per day is 18g. In the study the women ate an average of 26g of fibre per day - this suggests that eating larger quantities than the recommended daily amount of fibre may be necessary to protect pre-menopausal women against breast cancer.

Cancer Research UK states that the study further highlights the importance of eating a healthy diet for reducing the risk of cancer.

Good sources of fibre are fruit, vegetables, wholegrain rice and pasta, wholemeal bread, many breakfast cereals, nuts, seeds and bran.