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| health information | health news

Grapefruit may heighten women’s cancer risk

19 July 2007

Key facts
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in England. Four in five people diagnosed with breast cancer are women aged 50 and over. Breast cancer can also occur in men, but this is rare, affecting one percent of the total number of people diagnosed with the condition.

A daily diet of grapefruit may increase the risk of breast cancer for postmenopausal women, according to a new study.

Researchers from the US studied 50,000 women who were asked to record how often they consumed grapefruit over a 3-year period. This data was compared to local cancer statistics.

The results, published in the British Journal of Cancer (BJC), show that women who ate at least a quarter of a grapefruit everyday had a 30 percent higher chance of developing breast cancer, compared with women who did not eat the fruit at all.

"Although the chemicals in grapefruit are known to interfere with the action of several drugs, this is the first and only study to show a link between grapefruit and breast cancer risk," commented Liz Baker, science information officer at Cancer Research UK.

According to the authors of the paper, other studies have shown that the hormone oestrogen, is associated with a higher risk of breast cancer. Grapefruit has been shown to inhibit a molecule called cytochrome P450 (CYP3A4), which is involved in breaking down oestrogen. So the theory is that the effect of grapefruit on P450 may allow oestrogen to build up in the blood.

The researchers commented, "Since it is well established that oestrogen is associated with breast cancer risk, it is plausible that grapefruit intake may increase the risk of breast cancer among postmenopausal women."

However, they noted that further studies are needed to confirm their findings.

Liz Baker agrees and said, "What we do know is that eating a good mix of at least five fruit and vegetables a day can reduce the risk of many diseases, including some cancers."