A new study has found that teenage girls who eat plenty of fruits have a lower risk of developing breast cancer. The study also found that women who tend to consume high amounts of alcohol might increase their risk of getting cancer.
This study was published in The BMJ, where a researcher team tracked about 90,000 nurses that have reported their diet from early adulthood, where half of them recalled their usual diet during their adolescence.
About 3,200 cases of breast cancer were noted; about 1,347 cases were among women aged 13 to 18. The researchers found that high fruit consumption during adolescence was highly associated with a lower risk of breast cancer diagnosed in middle age of about 25 percent.
A fruit a day keeps cancer away
On the study, researchers noted that the fruits that helped to low risks of getting breast cancer were bananas, grapes and apples. Teenage girls who ate these three fruits, in addition to kale and oranges that also revealed the same breast cancer risk drop, help to lower the risk.
This rate was compared directly with those who ate just the half of a portion of the fruits daily. But what about the juice of these fruits? The researchers noted that consuming fruit juices were not found to have the same effects so it doesn’t help in decreasing the chances.
Maryam Fervid, who is a Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health visiting scientist, was the study author. “This study also has an important message for schools and the need to provide students with the opportunity to consume more fruits and vegetables as part of the school meal program,” said Fervid.
Alcohol raises risks of breast cancer
According to the study it does, but the consuming of alcohol helps on lowering the risk of developing a coronary heart disease.
This study was made by researchers in Denmark, where about 22,000 post-menopausal women were it was found that the women that increased their alcohol compared with women with a stable consumption of alcohol, those who increased their alcohol “dose” by two drinks per day during five years of follow-up had an increased risk of breast cancer of about 30 percent, but as said before, it decreased about 20 percent the risk of a heart disease.
“There may be some benefit with low to moderate intakes of alcohol, but this could be outweighed by an increased risk of breast cancer and other morbidities,” said Danish researchers.
Source: BMJ Journal