Starch intake may affect risk of breast cancer recurrence
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By David Liu
It is not a good thing for breast cancer patients to eat too much starch, according to a study presented at the 2011 CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, held on Dec. 6-10, 2011.
The study led by Jennifer A. Emond, M.S of the University of California at San Diego and colleagues found that increased starch intake was associated with a greater risk for breast cancer recurrence.
"The results show that it's not just overall carbohydrates, but particularly starch," said Jennifer A. Emond, M.S.. "Women who increased their starch intake over one year were at a much likelier risk for recurring."
Fructose found in table sugar and high fructose syrup as one type of carbohydrate has been associated with higher risk of cancer. And evidence indicates the sugar boost cancer cell growths.
The current study involved 2651 women in the Women's Healthy Eating and Living (WHEL) Dietary Intervention Trial intended to see how a plant-based intervention would affect 3,088 survivors of breast cancer in the study.
Participants were surveyed at baseline and one year after the beginning of the study for their consumption of starch and they were followed up for 7 years to see the risk for recurrence.
The researchers found the rate of an additional breast cancer event was 9.7 percent among those who reduced intake of starch during the first year. In comparison, the rate for those whose intake of starch increased were 14.2 percent during the first year.
The change in intake of starch was "independent of dietary changes that happened in the intervention arm," Emond said. "It is independent of more global changes in diet quality."
However, starch intake was associated with increased risk of breast cancer events among women with lower-grade tumors.
These results suggest limited starch intake should be recommended for women with breast cancer, the researchers said.
High starch foods include bread, pasta, rice, cereals and potatoes.
Breast cancer is diagnosed in more than 200,000 women in the United States each year and the disease kills about 50,000 each year in the country.
Breast cancer in many cases are preventable. A plant-based diet may be protective against breast cancer even though intake of too much starch may not be advisable.
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