The studies below have been reported on foodconsumer.org in the past two months. They are summarized for those who want to have an overview. This is the second part of the overview. A third part will be posted soon. The first part was posted here.

Pomegranate juice helps prevent advanced breast cancerDrinking pomegranate juice, which has high levels of antioxidants, or taking supplements prepared from pomegranate fruits may help prevent advanced breast cancer, according to a study in Breast Cancer Research and Treatment.A. Rocha Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, University of California Riverside in Riverside, California and colleagues conducted the study and found pomegranate juice and some ingredients (luteolin (L), ellagic acid (E), and punicic acid (P)) in the fruit juice inhibited cell and molecular processes involved in the metastasis of breast cancer, meaning that the fruit juice may slow, delay or prevent the disease from progressing to become an advanced disease. Allium sivasicum extract prevent breast cancerB. Tepe at Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Faculty of Science, Cumhuriyet University in Sivas, Turkey and colleagues published a study in Molecular Biology Reports suggesting that Allium sivasicum extracts were toxic to breast cancer cells and inhibited breast cancer growth in rats.Selenium supplements may prevent breast cancerH. R. Harris at Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden and colleagues reported in Breast Cancer Research and Treatments that having sufficient intake of dietary selenium including selenium supplementation may reduce risk of developing breast cancer.Selenium, commonly viewed as an antioxidant, is a cofactor in the production of antioxidant enzymes that may play a role in cancer progression.   In fact, many interventional trials have demonstrated that selenium supplementation reduced cancer mortality.High folate intake linked to high breast cancer risk C. Castillo-L at Universitat de les Illes Balears in Illes Balears, España and colleagues  reported in Revista Medica de Chile that an increased folate intake may be beneficial in deficient populations, but may increase risk of breast cancer in those who would otherwise have sufficient folate without food fortification.Eating soy foods may cut risk of breast cancerX. Zhong  and C. Zhang at School of Public Health, Sun Yat-Sen University in Guangzhou, China reported  in Wei Sheng Yan Jiu that eating soy food may reduce the risk of breast cancer by up to 20 percent in Asian women.Obesity linked to high breast cancer riskReena S. Cecchini at NSABP Biostatistical Center One Sterling Plaza in Pittsburgh, PA reported in Cancer Prevention Research that men and women with a body mass index of 25 to 29.9 (overweight) or 30 or more kg/m2 (obesity) were at 59 or 70 percent more likely to develop invasive breast cancer, compared with those with a BMI of 25 or lower.In premenopausal women, but not postmenopausal women, overweight women were at 59 percent increased risk of invasive breast cancer and obesity women were at 70 percent increased risk for the disease, compared with those having a BMI of lower than 25 kg/m2.Kami K. White at University of Hawaii Cancer Center in Honolulu, HI and colleagues reported  in the International Journal of Cancer that Native Hawaiian women with a body mass index 30 kg/m2 or greater or obesity were at 82 percent increased risk of  breast cancer, compared to those who had a BMI of 20 to 24.9 kg/m2.   Mediterranean diet prevents breast cancerF. Bessaoud of Registre des Tumeurs de l'Hérault-Parc Euromédecine Bâtiment Recherche, Montpellier Cedex 5, France and colleagues reported in Annals of Epidemiology that a Mediterranean diet with more fish or fish type of Mediterranean diet was associated with lower risk of breast cancer while the "raw vegetables and olive oil" type of Mediterranean diet was not.Specifically, a Mediterranean diet with high amounts of raw vegetables and olive oil actually may increase risk of breast cancer by 22 percent while a diet with high amounts of fish was associated with 23 percent reduced risk.On the other hand, "meat/alcohol" pattern above a threshold can increase breast cancer risk by 156 percent while the overall Western diet was associated with a insignificantly increased risk of breast cancer.Exercise lowers breast cancer risk in diabeticsTorres-Mejía G of National Institute of Public Health, Center for Population Health Research in Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico and colleagues  reported in Diabetes Care that women with diabetes mellitus type 2 may reduce their risk for breast cancer if they do moderate physical exercise often.