AddTo date, research on the effect of diet on breast cancer has primarily focused on excess calories that contribute to obesity rather than focusing on specific foods.  However, a report from the Breast Cancer Detection Demonstration Project on a study involving 40,000 women found some foods linked to a decreased risk of breast cancer. 

The “magic” foods include:

• Legumes (peas, beans, lentils, garbanzos, and soy)
• Cabbage
• A low intake of mayonnaise and salad dressing.

After adjusting for other variables (including age, BMI, family history, caloric intake, and other risk factors), the researchers found that the women having the top 1/3 intake of legumes had 22% fewer cases of invasive breast cancer than the women having the lowest 1/3 intake of legumes.  Although this is not a very large difference, it shows a positive trend.

What it Means:

Eating more legumes and cabbage and limiting mayonnaise are healthy nutritional change for most people and certainly carries no health hazard and may reduce your risk of breast cancer.

Source: Velie EM, et al. (Dec. 2005).  “Dietary Patterns and Breast Cancer.” American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 82:1308-1319.