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Western Diet Partly to Blame for Korea’s
Increasing Breast Cancer Rates
Korean women have historically had one of the lowest breast cancer
rates in the world, in part because of their traditionally low-fat
diet full of fresh vegetables, rice, soybeans, seaweed, and other
sea vegetables. However, as they stray from this diet toward a
higher fat Western regimen, rates of obesity and breast cancer
are catching up with those in Western countries. Researchers in
Seoul, Korea, analyzed lifestyle characteristics of 5,000 breast
cancer patients admitted to the Asan Medical Center for breast
surgery between 1989 and 2004. They found that breast cancer rates
among Korean women are increasing faster than the world average.
Researchers blame an increase in risk factors, including the consumption
of higher fat foods, which, according to the Korean Breast Cancer
Society, increased significantly between 1996 and 2000. Other changes
that reflect lifestyles of Westernized nations include earlier
menarche (perhaps due to diet changes), a delay in childbearing,
insufficient breastfeeding, late menopause, and obesity.
Son BH, Kwak BS, Kim JK, et al. Changing patterns in the clinical
characteristics of Korean patients with breast cancer during the
last 15 years. Arch Surg. 2006 Feb;141(2):155-160.
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