By Maya Listman

Getting nieces to eat a balanced diet can be difficult when they are young and probably don’t think about the long-term effects of their diet. Still, it's important to help them understand the benefits of a healthy diet. A study published in the March 2016 issue of Pediatrics reports that increased fiber consumption during adolescence may be a way to lower one’s risk of breast cancer later in life.

Researchers looked at more than 44,000 women over the course of 20 years. Every four years, the women answered in depth dietary questionnaires which were then cross-referenced with their health records to account for discrepancies.

The women who reported consuming higher amounts of fiber during high school, about 28 grams, had a significantly lower risk of developing breast cancer than those who consumed less than 15 grams per day.

The researchers concluded that a high fiber diet during adolescence and early adulthood reduce the risk of breast cancer by decreasing estrogen levels in the blood. These findings suggest that a high fiber diet may be particularly important during your nieces’ adolescent years. 

Photo: Mr. Alliance
Published: February 10, 2016