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# Breast cancer survival more likely in those using healthy diet
- URL: https://www.foodconsumer.org/healthy_diet_breast_cancer_death_risk_1125120327/
- Published: 2012-11-25T16:26:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-22T15:59:31.000Z
- Description: A. Vrieling's team followed 2,522 postmenopausal breast cancer patients for the British Journal of Cancer. A healthy dietary pattern, heavy on fruit, vegetable oil, sauces and soups, was associated with 26 percent lower overall death risk and 29 percent lower risk of recurrence.
- Author: Food Consumer
- Tags: Disease, Health News, #vivvo-import

By David Liu, PHD

Sunday Nov 25, 2012 (foodconsumer.org) -- Many may not believe this, but at least it is scientifically possible. Eating a healthy diet may reduce risk of death of all causes in breast cancer patients, according to a study recently published in British Journal of Cancer.

A. Vrieling of German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) in Heidelberg, Germany and colleagues conducted the study and found women who were diagnosed with stage 1- IIIa breast cancer using a 'healthy' diet were 26 percent less likely to die from all causes and 29 percent less likely to have recurrence of the disease.

Two dietary patterns identified in the principal component factor analysis were the healthy diet with high amounts of fruit, vegetable oil, sauces/condiments, and soups/bouillons and the unhealthy diet with high amounts of red meat, processed meat and deep frying fat.

For the study, 2,522 postmenopausal women diagnosed with breast cancer in 2001 to 2005 reported their food consumption habit by completing a food frequency questionnaire. Vital status, causes of death and recurrence were ascertained through the end of 2009.

Breast cancer patients in the highest quartile of intake of an unhealthy dietary pattern were 3.7 times as likely as those in the lowest quartile to die from non-breast cancer causes.

However, the unhealthy diet was not associated with breast cancer specific death risk and risk of breast cancer recurrence.

The healthy dietary pattern was associated with 26 percent reduced overall death risk and 29 percent reduced risk of recurrence in women with stage 1-IIIa breast cancer.

The researchers concluded "Increasing intake of an 'unhealthy' pre-diagnostic dietary pattern may increase the risk of non-breast cancer mortality, whereas increasing intake of a 'healthy' pattern may reduce the risk of overall mortality and breast cancer recurrence."

Breast cancer is expected to be diagnosed in more than 230,000 women in 2012 in the United States and the disease is expected to kill about 37,000 in the same year and the same country, according to the National Cancer Institute.