PCRM news release on breast cancer diet report

July 18, 2007

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Foods and Breast Cancer Survival (PDF)

News Release

July 18, 2007

Doctors Issue Caution in Interpreting New WHEL Study on Breast Cancer Survival Overall Results Show Survival Value of Fruits and Vegetables

WASHINGTON--In June, the Women’s Healthy Eating and Living (WHEL) study showed that women previously treated for breast cancer who consume at least five fruit and vegetable servings per day and are physically active have a nearly 50 percent reduction in mortality risk. This week, a JAMA report from the same study showed there is no further benefit from increasing fruits and vegetables beyond the five-a-day point.

Doctors from The Cancer Project caution that those who read only the second report will miss the study’s key finding--that a healthful diet and lifestyle can make a dramatic difference.

The WHEL study included more than 3,000 pre- and postmenopausal women. Half the participants (the intervention group) were asked to have five vegetable servings, 16 ounces of vegetable juice, and three fruit servings daily, as part of a low-fat, high-fiber diet. A comparison group was asked to consume at least five fruit and vegetable servings per day.

After seven years, those women in the comparison group who followed the guideline of eating at least five fruit and vegetable servings daily and who were physically active turned out to have nearly a 50 percent reduction in mortality, compared to women who did not meet these healthful guidelines. However, the recommendations for even greater vegetable and fruit intake made for the intervention group did not extend benefits beyond those achieved by the five-a-day comparison group. “Women who eat five servings of fruits and vegetables a day have a great measure of protection,” said Neal Barnard, M.D., president of The Cancer Project. “Pushing vegetables and fruits even more does not help. But it may be prudent to also eliminate unhealthful foods--meat, dairy products, and junk food--to maximize benefits.”

There are more than two million breast cancer survivors in the United States, and many of these women eat fewer than five servings of fruits and vegetables a day, consume too much fat, and lead sedentary lifestyles. Studies have shown that a low-fat, plant-based diet can trim body weight, reduce cancer risk, and help prevent cancer recurrence. A 2005 National Cancer Institute study found that breast cancer patients in the study who reduced their fat consumption lowered their risk of tumor recurrence by as much as 42 percent.

For an interview with Dr. Barnard, oncologist Carl F. Myers, M.D., or another expert, please contact Jeanne McVey at 202-686-2210, ext. 316, or jeannem.

The Cancer Project is a nonprofit collaborative effort of physicians, researchers, and nutritionists who have joined together to educate the public about the benefits of a healthy diet for cancer prevention and survival. Based in Washington, D.C., The Cancer Project is an independently incorporated affiliate of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine.

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