Recent research presented at the latest annual meeting of the American Society for Nutrition has found that the best diet for potentially preventing breast cancer is a plant-based, meat-free diet. The study results included data from 65,574 participants collected between 1993 and 2014, showing that those who consumed less meat had a 14% lower risk of developing breast cancer.
The results applied only to participants who adhered to a healthy diet primarily based on plant foods. It was noted that those who followed a plant-based diet but also consumed unhealthy foods and beverages had a 20% increased risk of breast cancer.
The lead author of the study, Sanam Shah, a doctoral student in epidemiology at Paris-Saclay University, stated: "The results suggest that the best plant-based diet for the prevention of breast cancer could be a healthy vegetarian diet consisting of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and legumes."
Shah added that "an unhealthy plant-based diet that includes larger amounts of highly processed products of plant origin, such as refined grains, fruit juices, sweets, and potatoes, would be worse for breast cancer prevention."
