Monday Aug 18, 2014 (foodconsumer.org) -- There is no doubt that many dietary components can affect the risk of breast cancer. Here are some but not all dietary components that may affect the risk of breast cancer.

Low calorie intake.  Low calorie intake is key to maintaining a low body mass index.  Overnight and obesity at the time of diagnosis were correlated with a worse prognosis in breast cancer patients.  Prevention of weight gain can reduce the risk of breast cancer and risk of death from the disease.

High sugar diet.  An Italian study shows that a diet high in glycemic load was correlated with elevated breast cancer risk.

High ratio of omega-3 fatty acids to omega-6 fatty acids.  A lower ratio as seen in the traditional Mediterranean diet may reduce the breast cancer risk.  Evidence suggests that intake of too much omega-6 fatty acids increases risk of many diseases including cancer.  Omega-6 fatty acids are high in vegetable oils, particularly in soybean oil and corn oil.  The preferred plant-based dietary oils are olive oil, sunflower oil and safflower oil, which contain high levels of monounsaturated fatty acids.

Fish oil or marine fatty acids.  Intake of oily fish oil or marine fatty acids EPA (eicosapentaenoic) plus DHA (Docosahexaenoic) was linked to improved prognosis of breast cancer.  Omega 3- fatty acids EPA and DHA found in oily fish have an anti-angiogenic effect.  Angiogenesis is needed for cancer to grow.  These fatty acids are known to reduce inflammation.  High doses of DHA have been demonstrated to be effective in fighting lung cancer as shown in a case report.

Canola oil.  It has been reported that intake of canola oil reduces tumor volume in rats with chemical-induced mammary tumor and inhibits cancer cell growth.  A patient with lung cancer used DHA as a nutritional therapy and canola oil as cooking oil successfully eliminated lung cancer in months.

High intake of fruit and vegetables.  Many antioxidants in large quantities are found in fruit and vegetables, which prevent cancers including breast cancer.  Serum levels of carotenoids were found inversely associated with risk of breast cancer. The inverse association was also found between intake of fruit and vegetables and risk of breast cancer.

Dietary fiber.  There is an inverse association between intake of dietary fiber and risk of breast cancer.  Phytoestrogens may increase risk of ER+ breast cancer because they are estrogenic.  In animals, so isoflavones were found to have a proliferative effect to promote cancer proliferation.  But consumption of phytoestrogens has been found associated with reduced risk of breast cancer or risk of recurrence.

Folate.  Evidence shows that the naturally occurring folate or folic acid found in plant-based foods is safe and associated with reduced risk of breast cancer.  But the synthetic folate used in fortified foods has been linked to increased risk.  The association depends upon some genetic makeup.

Alcohol. Alcoholic beverages have been recognized as a cancer risk by the National Toxicology Program.  Alcohol consumption has been linked to elevated breast cancer.

Riboflavin.  Riboflavin intake has been inversely associated with breast cancer risk.

Selenium (Se).   Organic selenium supplementation may reduce risk of breast cancer metastasis while selenite increases the risk.

Inorganic sulfur.  Inorganic sulfur significantly reduces the proliferation of human breast cells.

Probiotics.  Consumption of probiotics or fermented products containing lactic acid producing bacteria  was associated with reduced risk of breast cancer.  (David Liu, PHD)

Aragón F, Perdigón G, de Moreno de LeBlanc A.  Modification in the diet can induce beneficial effects against breast cancer.  World J Clin Oncol. 2014 Aug 10;5(3):455-64.