Cut Your Risk of Ovarian Cancer

Ovarian cancer can be one of the most fatal and malicious forms of cancer. But there’s hope, according to a recent National Institutes of Health study that monitored over 40,000 women between the ages of 50 and 79, for women later in life to cut their risk of developing ovarian cancer. A group of women were assigned to cut their fat intake from 35% of total calories to 20% of total calories. For example, a woman on a 2,000-calorie-per-day diet would have had to cut from 700 calories to 400 calories from fat. The women who stuck with this low-fat diet for eight years reduced their risk of developing ovarian cancer by a staggering 40%. You might be thinking, eight years? That’s HUGE. Admittedly, it is a major commitment – and women who stuck with the diet for only four years were not found to have a reduced risk. But the 40% risk reduction for the long-term low-fat dieters is major news, according to researchers. It’s robust evidence that changing dietary patterns later in life can have an impact on cancer risks. Low-fat diets are recommended because of their role in regulating heart disease and other types of health problems, but this is the first word that going low-fat can reduce ovarian cancer risk.

The connection between fat intake and ovaries isn’t obvious, but the currently-held viewpoint is that fat consumption boosts estrodiol (an important type of estrogen) levels, which could over-stimulate ovaries. Since estrogen is also implicated in breast cancer, the researchers have speculated that a low-fat diet may also have benefits in reducing breast cancer rates. The study found a 9% risk reduction in breast cancer, but that was not enough to prove statistically significant. Future studies are needed to determine what kind of relationship exists between dietary fat consumption and breast cancer. Regardless, this is promising news for post-menopausal women in the fight against cancer: it’s never too late to change your diet and help your health.