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Extra fruits and vegetables don't reduce breast cancer recurrence -- five a day
is enough
July 2007
Fruit and vegetable consumption has long been thought to lower breast cancer risk
and recurrence. But there's no need to go to extremes. Scientists find that eating
more than the daily recommendation of five servings of fruits and vegetables each
day doesn't reduce the risk of recurrence in women who have had breast cancer.
The Women's Healthy Eating and Living Study looked at 3,088 survivors of early
stage breast cancer over a period of between 6 and 11 years. The study group
was to consume a diet very high in fruits, vegetables, and fiber, and low in fat (5
servings of vegetables, 16 ounces of vegetable juice, 3 servings of fruit, 30 grams
of fiber, and 15-20% of calories from fat). The comparison group was counseled to
follow the standard dietary recommendation of five servings of fruits and
vegetables per day, 20 grams of fiber, and no more than 30% of calories from fat.
At the 4-year point, the study group was consuming around 10 servings of fruits
and vegetables each day, and getting approximately 27% of their calories from fat.
The comparison group was eating around around 6.5 servings of fruits and
vegetables per day, with 31% of their calories from fat.
No difference was seen in breast cancer recurrence or the fatality rate in the two
groups after approximately 7 years of follow-up.
Both groups were consuming a healthy diet, and this study doesn't compare them
to a group that was not. These were health-conscious women who even at the
beginning of the study consumed around seven servings of fruits and vegetables
per day -- many more than the average American eats.
There are some things this study doesn't tell us. The women were followed for no
more than 11 years, and it is possible that sticking to this diet for a longer period
would decrease recurrence or increase life expectancy. It also doesn't tell us if
this diet would prevent a primary breast cancer in some women or reduce
recurrence in certain subgroups of survivors.
While this study indicates that it's not necessary to go overboard on fruits and
vegetables, others have shown that eating a healthy diet does matter. Only one
month earlier, the same investigators reported that women who had breast cancer
cut their fatality rate in half by combining two healthy behaviors: eating five
servings of fruits and vegetables each day and doing regular exercise (the
equivalent to 30-minutes of walking six days a week). Read more.
Influence of a Diet Very High in Vegetables, Fruit, and Fiber and Low in Fat on Prognosis
Following Treatment for Breast Cancer: The Women's Healthy Eating and Living (WHEL)
Randomized Trial
JP Pierce et. al.
Journal of the American Medical Association July 18, 2007
is enough
July 2007
Fruit and vegetable consumption has long been thought to lower breast cancer risk
and recurrence. But there's no need to go to extremes. Scientists find that eating
more than the daily recommendation of five servings of fruits and vegetables each
day doesn't reduce the risk of recurrence in women who have had breast cancer.
The Women's Healthy Eating and Living Study looked at 3,088 survivors of early
stage breast cancer over a period of between 6 and 11 years. The study group
was to consume a diet very high in fruits, vegetables, and fiber, and low in fat (5
servings of vegetables, 16 ounces of vegetable juice, 3 servings of fruit, 30 grams
of fiber, and 15-20% of calories from fat). The comparison group was counseled to
follow the standard dietary recommendation of five servings of fruits and
vegetables per day, 20 grams of fiber, and no more than 30% of calories from fat.
At the 4-year point, the study group was consuming around 10 servings of fruits
and vegetables each day, and getting approximately 27% of their calories from fat.
The comparison group was eating around around 6.5 servings of fruits and
vegetables per day, with 31% of their calories from fat.
No difference was seen in breast cancer recurrence or the fatality rate in the two
groups after approximately 7 years of follow-up.
Both groups were consuming a healthy diet, and this study doesn't compare them
to a group that was not. These were health-conscious women who even at the
beginning of the study consumed around seven servings of fruits and vegetables
per day -- many more than the average American eats.
There are some things this study doesn't tell us. The women were followed for no
more than 11 years, and it is possible that sticking to this diet for a longer period
would decrease recurrence or increase life expectancy. It also doesn't tell us if
this diet would prevent a primary breast cancer in some women or reduce
recurrence in certain subgroups of survivors.
While this study indicates that it's not necessary to go overboard on fruits and
vegetables, others have shown that eating a healthy diet does matter. Only one
month earlier, the same investigators reported that women who had breast cancer
cut their fatality rate in half by combining two healthy behaviors: eating five
servings of fruits and vegetables each day and doing regular exercise (the
equivalent to 30-minutes of walking six days a week). Read more.
Influence of a Diet Very High in Vegetables, Fruit, and Fiber and Low in Fat on Prognosis
Following Treatment for Breast Cancer: The Women's Healthy Eating and Living (WHEL)
Randomized Trial
JP Pierce et. al.
Journal of the American Medical Association July 18, 2007
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Fruit and Vegetable Intake and Recurrence
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