London - Women should eat a plant-based diet to boost their odds of beating breast cancer, experts have said.
The world’s biggest study into surviving the disease has concluded that patients should make fruit, vegetables and wholegrains the focus of their meals.
Some meat is fine in moderation, but processed products such as sausages and bacon should be “avoided or eaten as little as possible”.
Other foods high in saturated fat, such as dairy, cakes and pastries, and are out but soy, including tofu and soya milk, is recommended.
The 550 000 British women who have breast cancer or believe they have recovered from it should also try to stay slim and active, the experts said. However, the World Cancer Research Fund stopped short of giving detailed advice. It says that while breast cancer prevention is well studied, the science of surviving it is much newer, and more research is “urgently” needed.
Breast cancer is Britain’s most common form of the disease, with almost 50 000 women diagnosed a year. Survival rates are improving but the disease is still the second-biggest cancer killer among women after lung cancer, claiming almost 1 000 lives a month.
Globally, it claims more than half a million lives a year.
In the most in-depth review of its kind, 85 studies involving more than 165 000 women from around the world were analysed. The focus was on lifestyle changes that boost the odds of surviving breast cancer – rather than preventing it in the first place.
Overall, women should aspire to a “plant-based diet” – which is low in calories and high in fibre – to lower the risk of being killed by the disease, it was found.
Eating soy-based foods after diagnosis may also be beneficial, while too much fat seems to be harmful. It is thought that high levels of fat feed cancer by disrupting the body’s delicate balance of hormones.
Dr Rachel Thompson, of the WCRF, said this doesn’t mean turning vegetarian, but ensuring fruit, vegetables and wholegrains make up two thirds of any meal.Meat, fish or a vegetarian option should make up the other third.
WCRF’s Dr Kate Allen said: “The research shows some evidence of links between cancer survival, maintaining a healthy body weight, being physically active and having a healthy diet.”
However, Emma Pennery, of Breast Cancer Care, warned: “More research is still needed, particularly as there have been numerous contradictions and inconsistencies in studies to date.” - Daily Mail