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Study: Diet May Impact Breast Health

Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem. Image credit: Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center

A new study out of Wake Forest School of Medicine indicates that diet could be an important factor in avoiding breast cancer. The research used primates called macaques in order to evaluate the effects of food on breast health.

One group of primates was fed a high-fat Western diet, with the majority of protein coming from animal sources, and another was fed a Mediterranean diet, with the majority of fat and protein coming from plant sources. After two and a half years, scientists analyzed breast tissue in the primates, specifically looking at what's called a microbiome.

The microbiome is a vast community of microorganisms including bacteria. The microbiome that has been studied the most is the one found in the gut. Dr. Carol Shively is a co-author of the study. She says microbes can be found in other parts of the body, and be specific to that area. And that means that a microbiome can be used to evaluate breast health.

“We just never knew anything about microbiomes in breast tissue before, never mind that they could be special to breast tissue," she says. "And it opens up this whole new realm of biology for us that we can explore and find ways to intervene therapeutically to help protect women from breast cancer.”

The study concluded that a Mediterranean diet was more favorable to the microbiome in breast tissue. 

“Typically what we see is that western diet reduces the number of different kinds of microbes in the microbiome and it also changes the distribution so that there's fewer of certain kinds of bacteria that are thought to protect against malignancies,” Shively says.

Additional studies are being conducted which will look at the influence of fish oil and probiotic supplements on the microbiome in the breast gland.

Bethany joined the staff of WFDD in the fall of 2012. She received her B.A. and M.A. in English Literature from Wake Forest University and focused on Anglo-Irish writing. Between undergraduate studies and graduate school, Bethany served as the intern to Talk of the Nation at NPR in D.C., participating in live NPR Election Night Coverage, Presidential debate broadcasts, regular Talk of the Nation shows, and helping to plan the inaugural broadcast of ‘Talk of the World.' She enjoys engaging with her interests in books, politics, and art in the interdisciplinary world of public radio. Before becoming Assistant News Director, Bethany was a reporter and Associate Producer for WFDD's Triad Arts and Triad Arts Weekend. Originally from Jacksonville, Florida, Bethany enjoys calling the Piedmont home.

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