Vegetable Fiber May Reduce Breast Cancer Risk

A new study from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggests that the risk of breast cancer may be lowered by eating vegetable fiber.

Dietary fiber, also referred to as roughage or bulk, is the part of a plant that cannot be digested or absorbed by the body. Adding fiber, or bulk, in the diet is thought to help keep the bowels regular and possibly treat or prevent certain diseases. Dietary fiber is found in grains, fruits and vegetables. There is no fiber in animal products such as meat, fish, eggs or dairy products.

The recent study used data on 334,849 women from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study. The women were followed for 11.5 years, during which 11,576 women developed invasive breast cancer. Invasive cancer indicates the tumor cells have spread throughout the body, whereas noninvasive cancer indicates the tumor cells remain in the breast.

Participants answered a questionnaire regarding their diet. Researchers categorized the women into five groups depending on their level of fiber intake. When comparing the highest fiber intake group with the lowest fiber intake group, researchers found that the risk of breast cancer was reduced in the participants consuming the most fiber. Furthermore, this risk was statistically significant when only fiber from vegetables was included, and not fiber from fruit, grains and legumes.

Further research on this topic is warranted.

For more information about a high fiber diet, please visit Natural Standard's Health & Wellness Database.

Comments

[SS]

An interesting study and even though it is just a pilot study and just the beginning of research it is nice to see something that might be able to help. If the disease runs in your family often times you are willing to try anything for prevention. Eating a high fiber diet from vegetables is an easy way to do this. I am very interested to see if more will come from this study.

[MS]

This is very interesting, and proves how a healthy diet can reduce the risk of cancer. Vegetables as well as having high fiber content, also have anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant and other anti-cancer effects. Therefore fiber contributes partly to breast cancer risk reduction. Also consuming fiber keeps individuals full for longer periods of time therefore it is useful in weight loss, also this may possibly have an impact in cancer risk reduction.

[ac]

I used the Natural Standard databases to look up more information about a high fiber diet. I found that current research is investigating proposed associations between a high fiber diet and several conditions. Some of these conditions include colorectal cancer, constipation, weight loss, heart disease, diabetes type 2, and cholesterol.

[bz]

I agree with other posters in that the many variables introduced with a diet high in fiber may also be altering breast cancer risk. Regardless, it is great to see that fiber is playing some sort of role in lowering the risk of breast cancer. I am interested in seeing whether the risk of other types of cancer decreased as well, as it seems like fiber would potentially be beneficial for other forms of cancer.

[km]

The risk of developing breast cancer also includes obesity, sedentary life style, alcohol intake, and dietary intake of high fat and low vegetables content. So, there are possibilities that the risk decreases because of better dietary habits and life style changes. I’m wondering if those factors were incorporated into the analysis.

[a]

I agree with the previous poster in that I think there are too many variables at play here to make a firm conclusion. In addition to possibly nutrients other than fiber having an effect in the vegetables group, were their dietary patterns similar at baseline? One might assume that those who eat a lot of vegetables may be more health conscious - which may have played a role in their risk of cancer.

[pc]

I agree with the previous posters in that one study will not be changing my perception of fiber intake affecting cancer risk. I would also be interested in seeing results of a similar study with a more controlled design; I am not a huge fan of studies that use self-reporting questionnaires to gather information as they are not wildly accurate. Clearly fiber is good for the diet, and eating vegetables daily has many health benefits; we all should continue eating vegetables for our general health and not get hung up on decreasing our cancer risk of one type of cancer.

[BC]

I agree with AR that one study finding can't really prove that fiber is truly beneficial in reducing breast cancer risk. Perhaps further research would better tell us what kind of effects it can have. I agree that there are too many confounding factors present at this time in the study that was conducted.

[AR]

This is a very interesting study, but I agree with the above comment posted by JS that, “I’m not completely convinced that fiber lowers breast cancer risk based on this one study…” I think that since breast cancer risk reduction was only statistically significant when excluding fiber from sources other than vegetables seems to support the idea that it is not necessarily the fiber that is giving women the benefit. I think there may be too many confounding factors here to determine if it is the fiber or some other factor that is reducing the risk of breast cancer in this study.

[JS]

It’s interesting that the researchers only found a significant reduction in risk associated with vegetable fiber consumption and not the consumption of other forms of fiber. How do they know that it’s not the multiple vitamins, minerals, or antioxidants found in vegetables that lower the cancer risk? I’m not completely convinced that fiber lowers breast cancer risk based on this one study but fiber does offer multiple other health benefits such as lowering cholesterol, helping to control blood sugar, promoting bowel health and helping to maintain a healthy weight.

[kl]

This prospective, pilot study may have identified a pivotal relationship between nutrition and cancer. These days it seems as though everything causes cancer, so it is nice to see scientific evidence that vegetables may lower one's risk for developing cancer. I look forward to a well-designed, statistically powered, randomized controlled trial investigating the effects of a strict regimen of specific vegetables on cancer risk. Until then, we should all continue to consume the recommended three to five servings of vegetables daily.