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Commentary
Go Low Fat to Reduce Cancer Risk
This letter to the editor ran May 31, 2005, in the St.
Louis Post-Dispatch.
In the battle against breast cancer, low-fat diets may be our most
potent weapon, according to a new study by researchers at the UCLA
Medical Center. Breast cancer patients in the study who reduced
their fat consumption lowered their risk of tumor recurrence by
as much as 42 percent.
As a dietitian with The Cancer Project, I know that low-fat eating
habits may also prevent other types of cancer. The China Healthy
Study and other research on populations around the world have shown
that people on low-fat, plant-based diets have strikingly low cancer
rates.
This is because vegetarians, whose diets are based on beans, whole
grains, fruits, and vegetables, typically eat less fat, more fiber
and cancer-fighting compounds, and are, on average, slimmer than
meat-eaters. Fatty foods, such as meat, dairy, and vegetable oils,
can boost the hormones that cause cancer.
For more information about making healthy food choices to prevent
cancer, please go to www.CancerProject.org.
Sincerely,
Jennifer K. Reilly, R.D.
Managing Director
The Cancer Project
5100 Wisconsin Ave., N.W., Ste. 400
Washington, DC 20016-4131
202-244-5038 x318 (phone)
jreilly@cancerproject.org
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