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Study Shows Lignans Help
Improve Breast Cancer Survival
A plant-based diet high in cancer-fighting lignans may be associated
with improved survival among postmenopausal women with breast cancer,
according to a study presented by Susan E. McCann, Division of
Cancer Prevention and Population Sciences, Roswell Park Cancer
Institute (RPCI), at the 2008 annual meeting of the American Association
for Cancer Research (AACR), April 12-16, in San Diego, CA.
Lignans are plant compounds found in seeds, whole grains, vegetables
and fruits. In laboratory studies, lignans have been shown to impact
hormone levels and tumor growth. Researchers from Roswell Park
and the University at Buffalo evaluated the dietary lignan intakes
of 1,122 women diagnosed with breast cancer who participated in
the Western New York Exposures and Breast Cancer Study (WEB Study)
between 1996 and 2001. Lignan intake was calculated based on responses
to a questionnaire that charted intake of over 100 foods.
The study found that dietary lignan intake had no relevance among
premenopausal women with breast cancer. However, in postmenopausal
women, those with a high lignan intake were 70% less likely to
die from breast cancer.
" This study suggests that certain fruits and vegetables
may offer more protection than others. Postmenopausal women diagnosed
with breast cancer who reported high intakes of lignans, which
in this study were supplied mostly by dark bread, peaches, broccoli,
oranges, winter squash, strawberries, coffee and tea, had a statistically
significant reduction in death rates," said Dr. McCann.
Nutritionhorizon.com
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