University research finds walnuts can reduce risk of cancer - MU The Parthenon
Marshall University researchers have discovered that walnuts lead to a significant reduction in the risk of breast cancer.
Dr. Elaine Hardman, Ph.D., of Marshall's Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, led the study with the assistance of roughly 15 students.
Transgenic mice were the test subjects in the study. The mothers of the test mice were fed either a diet containing walnuts or a diet without. This continued throughout the lifespan of the mice.
"What we found is that the incidence of cancer was reduced by about 50 percent in the mice that were exposed to walnuts in their diet," Hardman said.
Those mice developed breast cancer at half the rate of the group with the typical diet. The numbers of tumors, as well as the size, were considerably smaller.
The amount of walnuts served to the mice is equivalent to about two ounces a day for humans.
The study found that the diet changed the activity of multiple genes that affect breast cancer in both mice and humans.
"We're beginning to realize that cancer is so variable, and we're having trouble trying to treat it," Hardman said. "And the genealogy work also indicates that somewhere.
between 30 and 60 percent of all cancers could be prevented if we make some diet and lifestyle changes."
Testing showed that an increase in omega-3 fatty acids was not completely responsible for the anti-cancer effect. When vitamin E was increased, tumor growth in the mice decreased.
"We need to change to a more healthy diet that includes more fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and nuts," Hardman said. "Walnuts in particular seem to be especially beneficial, as well as exercise and keeping our bodies at a healthy weight."
Adding healthy fats to the diet means the amount of unhealthy fats were reduced in order to keep the total dietary fat balanced in the mice. Several ingredients in walnuts also reduce the risk of cancer by slowing its growth.
This particular study began about a year and a half ago, but Hardman has been doing diet and cancer research for about 20 years. She is currently working on several research projects with the effects of canola oil and fish oil.
The study was funded by grants from the American Institute for Cancer Research and the California Walnut Commission.
Ashleigh Hill can be contacted at hill281@marshall.edu.
06 Sep, 2011
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