Plant Foods to Prevent Breast Cancer

Filed in archive Breast Cancer on March 26, 2007

Does diet play a roll in matters of health, and, in particular, in breast cancer? A recent article I read on SpiritIndia.com suggests that it does:

Marina Touillaud, Ph.D. of the National Institute of Health and Medical Research in France, and colleagues administered a diet history questionnaire to 58,049 postmenopausal French women to examine the association between the consumption of four types of plant lignans and the risk of invasive breast cancer.

Lignans, which are found in flaxseed and a variety of fruits, vegetables and whole grains, belong to a family of compounds called phytoestrogens. Because of their hormone-like properties, phytoestrogens can bind to estrogen receptors, and some have suggested they may play a role in preventing breast cancer.