Diets that promote inflammation linked to an increased risk of breast cancer

A new study of more than 350,000 women found that women whose diets contained more foods that promoted inflammation had a 12% higher risk of breast cancer than women who consumed more foods described as anti-inflammatory. The foods described as ‘promoting inflammation’ included red meat, processed meat, butter, margarine, frying fats and products high in sugar and honey. Those foods described as anti-inflammatory included vegetables, legumes, fruits and tea.

The study found that moving from a more anti-inflammatory diet to one that increased inflammation increased the risk of breast cancer in an almost linear manner. Most studies examining the link between diet and breast cancer have previously focused on single nutrients or foods rather than whole diets.

This study was based on data from the European Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC), a study with 500,000 participants across 10 European countries that began in the mid 1990s.