The Diet And Breast Cancer Debate
Whether certain diets can prevent breast cancer has been greatly debated in the medical community, with some doctors recommending certain foods for those at risk, and others saying the advice is unproven. CBS News Correspondent John Roberts reports.
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Dr. Mitchell Gaynor of the Strang Cancer Prevention Center is the latest physician to jump into the controversy over diet and cancer. His just-released book suggests that certain foods can not only reduce a woman's risk for breast cancer, but in some cases, eliminate it all together.
"The scientific data has shown that various nutrients can lower the risk of cancer. These are studies done in tens of thousands of people," says Dr. Gaynor.
The diet Gaynor recommends to his patients, points to typical items such as fruits and vegetables, but also touts the benefits of soy, flaxseed, fish oil, herbs, algae, and even shark products.
A book by Dr. Bob Arnot, Breast Cancer Prevention Diet: The Powerful Foods, Supplements and Drugs That Can Save Your Life, has similar recommendations. However, it was roundly criticized last week as "unscientific and deceptive...a disservice to American women," by the Council on Science and Health.
"There are those who could argue that giving someone a so-called breast cancer diet empowers a woman," says Elizabeth Whelan of the Council on Science and Health. "I say it manipulates a woman by taking advantage of her very deep seated fear about breast cancer."
So is there definitive proof that a specific diet can prevent breast cancer? The answer is no. But there is growing evidence to suggest that certain foods like tomatoes, broccoli, green tea and certain oils may be beneficial in reducing the risk.
For example, trying to explain why Japanese women who eat a diet high in soy and fish oil have low rates of breast cancer, UCLA researchers found that when American women adopted the diet, the fat in their breasts changed from the type that promotes cancer to the type that inhibits it.
"We now have a plausible paradigm for explaining how diet can explain breast cancer risk," says Dr. John Glaspy of UCLA Jonsson Cancer Center. "It changes what your breast cells live in."
More answers will come from a 15-year study now underway at the National Institutes of Health. But by the time the results are in, three million women will have developed breast cancer, leaving many to wonder: If it might work, why wait?
Reported By John Roberts