Animal food based diets are associated with a reduced risk of breast and ovarian cancer

This study was published in the International Journal of Cancer 2008 Feb 1;122(3):609-13

Study title and authors:
Nutrient dietary patterns and the risk of breast and ovarian cancers.

Edefonti V, Decarli A, La Vecchia C, Bosetti C, Randi G, Franceschi S, Dal Maso L, Ferraroni M.
Istituto di Statistica Medica e Biometria Giulio A. Maccacaro, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy. valeria.edefonti@unimi.it

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17764109?dopt=Abstract

The study examined the associations between dietary patterns and breast and ovarian cancers. The study included 2,569 women with breast cancer, 1,031 women with ovarian cancer, and 3,413 controls.

The study found:
(a) Women consuming an animal products pattern diet had a 26% reduced risk of breast cancer.
(b) Women consuming an animal products pattern diet had a 2% reduced risk of ovarian cancer.
(c) Women consuming a starch-rich pattern diet had a 34% inreased risk of breast cancer.
(d) Women consuming a starch-rich pattern diet had a 85% inreased risk of ovarian cancer.

Animal food based diets are associated with a reduced risk of breast and ovarian cancer, whereas a starch-rich diet is associated with an increased risk of breast and ovarian cancer.