Intake of dietary fibre during adolescence may lower risk of breast cancer in women, says study

Women who consume more fibre during adolescence may have a significantly lower risk of breast cancer than those who consume less dietary fibre as youngsters, a new study has found. The study, conducted by researchers at Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, found that young women who consumed a lot of fruits and vegetables were at a lower risk of breast cancer. [caption id=“attachment_2727914” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representational image. Reuters[/caption] Lead author of the study Maryam Farvid said that no previous study has examined diet during adolescence or early adulthood and its link to breast cancer risk. “This work on the role of nutrition in early life and breast cancer incidence suggests one of the very few potentially modifiable risk factors for premenopausal breast cancer,” she said. Researchers looked at a group of 90,534 women and found that breast cancer risk was 12 to 19 percent lower among women who ate more dietary fibre in early adulthood, depending on how much more they ate. Study authors found that a high intake of fibre during adolescence was also associated with 16 percent lower risk of overall breast cancer and 24 percent lower risk of breast cancer before menopause. According to the scientists, regularly having an apple or two slices of whole wheat bread or even a cup of cooked kidney beans during early adulthood reduced risk of breast cancer by 13 percent.