Study Suggests Teens Who Consume More Dietary Fiber Less Likely to Develop Breast Cancer Later
Increasing dietary fiber consumption during adolescence and early adulthood may be an easy way to lower risk of breast cancer, according to a study issue of Pediatrics.
For the study, “Dietary Fiber Intake in Young Adults and Breast Cancer Risk”, researchers looked at more than 44,000 women participating in the ongoing, national prospective cohort Nurses’ Health Study II.
The women who reported the highest amount of fiber consumed during high school, about 28 grams daily, had a significantly lower risk of breast cancer compared with those who said they consumed an average of less than 15 grams a day.
A high-fiber diet may reduce the incidence of breast cancer by decreasing levels of estrogen circulating in the blood, the study’s authors said, and breast cancer risk factors appear to be have particular impact during adolescence and early adulthood.