The relationship of diet in preventing and treating cancer has been extensively studied. The importance of diet is particularly true for breast cancer where the findings are unambiguous and the magnitude of dietary influences is enormous.

A brief summary of what is known:

There is a strong relationship between development, progression, recurrence of breast cancer and-

     Excess body weight     

Alcohol consumption     

Animal (not vegetable) proteins     

Cholesterol 

Strong protective effect-        

Soy- tofu and soy milk but not fermented products like tempeh and miso (which are healthy but not important in breast cancer); concentrated soy or isolated soy protein may be harmful      

Mushrooms- all, especially button     

Flaxseeds, especially ground     

Vegetables and fruits in general