Can Eating Walnuts Reduce Your Risk of Breast Cancer

We have seen walnuts recommended as good for the heart for quite some time now. Some recent research, reported in the journal Nutrition and Cancer, says that eating walnuts may also help lower the risk of breast cancer.

These statistics come from the National Cancer Institute website:

Estimated new cases and deaths from breast cancer in the United States in 2011:

New cases: 230,480 (female); 2,140 (male)
Deaths: 39,520 (female); 450 (male)

Here is an excerpt from the abstract  from Nutrition and Cancer, reporting on the study, "Dietary Walnut Suppressed Mammary Gland Tumorigenesis in the C(3)1 TAg Mouse." (July 20,2011)

"Walnuts contain multiple ingredients that, individually, have been shown to slow cancer growth, including omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants, and phytosterols*. In previous research, consumption of walnuts has slowed the growth of implanted breast cancers...Compared to a diet without walnuts, consumption of walnuts significantly reduced tumor incidence (fraction of mice with at least one tumor), multiplicity (number of glands with tumor/mouse), and size...A comparison with another dietary intervention indicated that the omega 3 content alone did not account for the extent of tumor suppression due to the walnut. The results of this study indicate that walnut consumption could contribute to a healthy diet to reduce risk for breast cancer."

(*Phytosterols are naturally occurring plant compounds. You can read the Wikipedia article about phytosterols, if you want more information.)

Walnuts are good for the heart, and now they may also help reduce the incidence of breast cancer. And they taste good, and are a natural product. (I think raw, unsalted walnuts are a better choice than roasted , salted ones.) It seems like a no-brainer to add them to your diet.  If you are watching your weight, just pay attention to the calories you are eating, make sure not to overdo it.