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(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- A new study reveals eating whole wheat during pregnancy could reduce the risk of breast cancer. The research was done in rats, but researchers say the results suggest it might be beneficial for pregnant women to try to include whole wheat in their diets.
Previous research has suggested daughters of mothers who ate a high-fat diet were at a greater risk of breast cancer. This new study done at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., looked at what dietary factors could reduce the risk of breast cancer in offspring.
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For the study, investigators fed rats a diet with 6 percent fiber from whole wheat flour, oat flour, defatted flax flour or cellulose. The cellulose was used as a control. The offspring were given a breast cancer-inducing chemical.
Researchers report the rats that had been fed whole wheat were less likely to develop breast tumors. They also found the rats given defatted flax flour were at an increased cancer risk. The oat flour had no effect. Researchers say it appears whole wheat somehow improves the animals' ability to repair DNA damage.
This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, who offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, go to: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.
SOURCE: International Journal of Cancer, 2006;119:2279-2286
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