CONSUMING high doses of fiber through fruits and vegetables during adolescence may reduce a woman’s risk of developing breast cancer compared to those who eat less dietary fiber, a new study has found.
Published on Monday, Feb. 1 in the journal Pediatrics, researchers based their findings on a long-term study of 44,000 women who were surveyed about their eating habits in high school and on detailed questionnaires they completed about their dietary habits every four years.
“From many other studies we know that breast tissue is particularly influenced by carcinogens and anti-carcinogens during childhood and adolescence,” study author Dr. Walter Willet, the Fredrick John Stare professor of epidemiology and nutrition at Harvard Chan School, said in a release. “We now have evidence that what we feed our children during this period of life is also an important factor in future cancer risk.”
Researchers found that women who ate an average of 28 grams of fiber per day were at a 24 percent lower risk of developing breast cancer before menopause, compared to those who consumed an average of 14 grams of fiber per day. Overall, those who had high-fiber diets during adolescents were at a 16 percent lower risk of breast cancer, while women who consumed more dietary fiber had a 12 to 19 percent reduced risk.
“This is a really important study … [suggesting] that the more fiber you eat during your high school years, the lower your risk is in developing breast cancer,” said Kimberly Blackwell, a breast cancer specialist at the Duke Cancer Center, according to NPR.
Study authors say that high-fiber diets may decrease the risk of breast cancer because fiber is able to slow down the absorption of sugars and help stabilize blood sugar levels.
The new research, however, does come with the limitation of it relying on women to recall what they ate over 10 years ago.
“The recollection of dietary habits more than a decade earlier must be questioned,” wrote Blackwell. But she also said that “people’s dietary habits don’t really change a lot…. In general, what you eat as a teenager is really formative as to what you eat later in life.”
The recommended daily dose for fiber varies by age, but new Dietary Guidelines for Americans suggest that women between the ages of 14 and 18 get 25 grams per day, while in that age range are suggested to consume 30 grams per day.
Kristi King, a dietitian at Texas Children’s Hospital, said the best way to meet these doses is to include fiber in each meal, in the form of fruits, seeds, nuts, beans, vegetables or whole grains, NPR reported.
