Sugary, High-Fat Western Diet Tied to Denser Breast Tissue

Overweight and obese women who eat a Western-style diet may develop more dense breast tissue, possibly increasing their risk for breast cancer, Spanish researchers report.

The women were about 41% more likely to have denser breast tissue than women who ate a Mediterranean-type diet.

High-fat dairy products (whole mild, high-fat cheeses and ice cream), processed meats (bacon, ham and salami) and refined grains (white bread, pasta and white rice) are prime examples associated with this increased risk. Other examples include sweets and sweetened drinks, convenience foods (pizza, French fries and chips) and sauces (mayonnaise and ketchup), said study co-author Dr. Marina Pollan. She is a cancer epidemiologist at the National Center of Epidemiology in Madrid.

Women who ate such a diet had a 46% higher risk of developing breast cancer, Pollan added, although these study findings do not prove that diet causes breast tissue to become denser.

A Mediterranean diet is characterized by a high intake of fish, vegetables, legumes, boiled potatoes, fruits, olives and vegetable oil and a low intake of juices, she said.

For the study, Pollan and her colleagues collected data on more than 3,500 women who were part of a breast cancer screening program between October 2007 and July 2008.

Breast Ultrasound & Mammography May Be Equally Effective

A new study indicates they appear equally likely to detect breast cancer.

“It looks like ultrasound does better than mammography for node–negative invasive cancer,” said study leader Dr. Wendie Berg, professor of radiology at Magee-Women’s Hospital of UPMC in Pittsburgh. Node-negative invasive cancer is cancer that hasn’t invaded the lymph nodes, but has grown past the initial tumor, according to the U.S. National Cancer Institute.

“The downside [to ultrasound] is, there were more false positives,” Berg said.

At least one expert doesn’t expect this study to change current screening practice in the United States.

“For U.S. patients, what [this study] really confirms is, ultrasound should be used as a supplemental screening exam in dense breast patients,” said Dr. Lusi Tumyan, a radiologist and assistant clinical professor at the City of Hope Cancer Center, in Duarte, Calif. She reviewed the findings but was not involved in the study. “At this time we do not have enough data to support or refute ultrasound as a screening tool for average-risk patients,” Tumyan said.

The study was published Dec. 28 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

Ultrasound is generally used as a follow-up test once a potential breast tumor has been discovered through a mammogram or a physical exam, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS). The ACS says that ultrasound is a valuable tool that’s widely available and noninvasive.

The new study involved 2,600 women living in the United States, Canada and Argentina who had ultrasound and mammogram annually for three years. They had no symptoms of breast cancer at the study’s start, but they did have dense breast tissue – considered a risk factor for breast cancer – plus at least one other risk factor for breast cancer.

Only ‘Limited’ Evidence for Mammograms in 40s

Adding to the debate about the benefits of mammography screening before age 50, a new research review find “limited” evidence that screening prevents breast cancer deaths among women in their 40s.

The results come from the International Agency for Research on Cancer, which asked experts from 16 countries to look at the latest evidence on breast cancer screening.

What they found largely confirmed what experts have long said: For women ages 50 to 75, routine mammograms reduce the risk of dying form breast cancer.

The report, published in the June 4 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, reflects a longstanding debate.
In 2009, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force ignited a controversy when it changed its recommendations on mammograms – which had long advised women to have screening every one to two years, starting at age 40.

The revised guidelines now say routine screening should begin at age 50 and be done every two years. The panel said women in he 40s should discuss the pros and cons of mammography screening with their doctors, then make an informed decision.

However, the cancer society and the American Collage of Obstetricians and Gynecologists still urge women to get yearly mammograms, starting at age 40.