According to a recent study by the researchers at Queen’s University Belfast, Northern Ireland, women can be notably reduce their risk of breast cancer by consuming a healthy diet – comprising more of fruits, vegetables and whole grains, and less of alcohol.

For their findings, the research team assimilated data related to 40,000 women, who were the study-participants in 18 earlier studies which essentially examined the association between type of food consumed by women and their risk of breast cancer.

Going by the records of the previous studies, the participants were consuming diets of different kinds - a nutritious diet rich in fruits, vegetables and whole grains; or an unwholesome diet that largely contained red meats and processed grains; and differing levels of alcohol.

It was found that women who were consuming a healthy diet showed an 11 percent lower risk of breast cancer, vis-à-vis women who indulged in unhealthy diet including wine, beer and spirits; thereby increasing their breast cancer risk by 21 percent.

Commenting on the findings of the latest research, Dr. Michelle Holmes - an epidemiologist at Harvard Medical School, Boston; who was not involved in the main study - said: “Consuming a prudent, healthy diet that includes lots of fruits, vegetables and whole grains is a wise idea, because there is lots of scientific evidence that it prevents heart disease and diabetes.”