1er May 2008 – The more trans fat a woman consumes, the more likely she is to develop breast cancer, according to researchers from the National Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM)1, in France.
The study was conducted among 363 women with breast cancer and 703 controls who did not. All of these women were part of a cohort of 25,000 women who had had their blood drawn. The researchers measured the levels of trans fats in the blood samples of all the participants.
Compared to women with the lowest trans fat levels, those with the highest levels doubled their risk of developing breast cancer, the results show.
Women should reduce their consumption of processed foods until the food industry takes the necessary steps to reduce the trans fat content of store-bought products, the study’s authors recommend.
Industrial trans fats are formed when a vegetable oil is partially hydrogenated during the food preparation process. They are present in a multitude of processed food products.
The benefits of lignans
In addition, the consumption of fruits, vegetables and cereals rich in lignans (natural phytoestrogens) would increase the survival rate of women with breast cancer, according to an American study.2.
In addition, lignans would have the same protective effect against breast cancer as soy isoflavones, according to the results of a French study published in 2007.3.
Flax seeds (but not their oil) are by far the best dietary source of lignans: they contain around 86 mg per 30 g serving. It is also found in significant amounts in whole grain breads, peaches, strawberries, oranges, squash, broccoli, among others.
Pierre Lefrançois – PasseportSanté.net
1. Chajès V, Thiébaut AC, et al. Association between Serum trans-Monounsaturated Fatty Acids and Breast Cancer Risk in the E3N-EPIC StudyAm J Epidemiol. 2008 Apr 4
2. McCann SE. Dietary lignan intakes and survival in women with breast cancer in the Western New York Exposures and Breast Cancer (WEB) Study. Presentation at the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting, USA, 2008.
3. See our new Discover Beneficial Lignans Against Breast Cancer.
