It is well known that people in different regions of the world have rates of breast cancer that vary considerably. Is this simply because the genetic makeup of certain populations differ? Japanese women have a low rate of breast cancer. If they move to Hawaii, their risk increases, and risk increases further yet if they move to the mainland United States. Clearly genetics alone cannot explain this. So – what does? Studies are increasingly pointing at the role of diet as one explanation.

A recent study looked at the Mexican diet, since Hispanic women have a lower incidence of breast cancer than white non-Hispanic women. It was found that those who consumed a native Mexican diet(right), or a Mediterranean diet(below), had a significantly lower risk of developing breast cancer than those who chose to partake of the traditional western diet.

Last year, a study looked at women who consumed a typical “soy-vegetable” Chinese diet, versus the western diet. Those women who switched over to a western diet had a 60% increased risk of developing breast cancer.

Sadly, countries such as China in the above study, that are adopting our “meat-sweet” western diet, are also beginning to experience our high breast cancer incidence as well.

Action point: Lowering the risk of breast cancer can be fun with this knowledge. Go to your library, bookstore, or online, to find ethnic recipes that look enticing.

For further information on cancer prevention, visit http://www.avoidcancernow.com

Posted by Lynne Eldridge, MD

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