Plant-based diet good for breast cancer survivors

A small study led by researchers at The Miriam Hospital suggests that eating a plant-based, olive oil rich diet may help breast cancer survivors better control their weight.

Excess weight at the time of diagnosis and weight gain during the cancer treatment is correlated with a higher risk of cancer recurrence, according to a press release by the hospital.

In the study, published in the journal of Women's Health, breast cancer survivors were asked to use two diets in a row, each for eight weeks.  One diet is the conventional low fat diet recommended by the National Cancer Institute and the other is an olive oil enriched plant-based diet.

The results of the study showed that 81 percent of women who started with the plant-based diet ended up losing more than 5 percent of body weight when compared to baseline, while only 31% on the low fat diet had similar results.

The NCI diet consisted of at least five servings of fruit and vegetables, about 25 to 50 grams of fat including canola oil and six to seven ounces of non-red lean meat each day.

The olive oil diet developed by the lead author Mary Flynn, PhD, RD, LDN consisted of at least three tablespoons of olive oil, nuts for breakfast, three servings of fruit and unlimited vegetables, and a substantial amount of whole gains each day.  Included in the diet were limited amounts of poultry and fish each week, but no red meat and polyunsaturated fats like vegetable oils were allowed.

In the study, 28 of the 44 women completed both diets and surprisingly, 19 out of the 22 eligible for the six month follow-up study chose to follow the plan-based olive oil diet. All these women were able to maintain their weight loss or lost more weight during the follow-up.

According to the statement by the hospital, extra virgin olive oil has been associated with reduced risk of breast cancer in Greece, Spain and Italy where the oil is consumed in large quantities.  Fruit and vegetables, particularly in the red, orange and yellow colored fruits and vegetables, may contain cancer protective properties of carotenoids.

Dr. Colin T Campbell, a distinguished nutrition professor at Cornell University says in his book “China Study” that eating a plant-based diet can not only prevent obesity, but also all types of cancer.

Dr. Flynn and colleagues also found that use of the plant-based diet resulted in lower triglycerides and higher high-density lipoprotein cholesterol.  Low blood fat and high HDL cholesterol have been associated with low breast cancer risk.

David Liu and editing by Rachel Stockton