Nut Consumption In Breast Cancer
Why Nuts?
Nuts are a fantastic food to include in your diet. They are packed with amazing nutrients such as omega-3 fatty acids, other healthy fats, fibre, trace minerals such as selenium and vitamins such as vitamin E. This calorically dense food has been associated with many health benefits such as providing cholesterol lowering effects, reducing risk of cardiovascular disease, and have also been shown to reduce inflammation. It is also a staple of the well-known Mediterranean diet which has been studied extensively for its effect in reducing cardiovascular disease risk, diabetes and obesity. Given this information, we can conclude that this food should become a key element in all of our diets.
How Does This Relate To My Breast Cancer?
A recently published 2022 population-based study evaluated the impact of nut consumption in breast cancer survivorship. In the study, 3449 breast cancer survivors who were 5+ years post-diagnosis were followed for nearly 9 years. Their dietary habits were evaluated, and specifically their nut consumption was closely monitored. The results indicated that nut consumers had higher overall survival and disease-free survival at 10 years post-diagnosis.
Sub-analysis of the study found that there was a dose dependent response to nut consumption for overall and disease-free survival, meaning that those who consumed more than 17.2g of nuts weekly had lower risk of cancer recurrence, metastasis, or breast cancer-specific death. Cancer survivors with ER or PR positive breast cancers, higher BMI’s, higher physical activity, those who had been treated with radiotherapy and tamoxifen and those diagnosed with stage I-II breast cancers had significantly better overall survival when nut consumption was higher. In other words, the participants with the previously mentioned characteristics benefited most from dietary nut consumption.
Which Nuts and How Much To Have?
To get the benefits specified in this study, it would be ideal to aim for a minimum of 17.2 grams of nuts weekly. This amounts to roughly ¼ cup of nuts every week. Although we cannot be certain that nut consumption will confer the benefits found in this study, we do know that nuts have other incredible health benefits. Thus, increasing nut consumption at the very least will provide cardiovascular protection, and at the most may improve overall and disease-free survival in breast cancer survivors.
While this study found that all types of nuts provided these benefits, there are specific nuts that are preferable given their nutritional profile. One concern that is worth noting is the presence of aflatoxin in certain food products. Aflatoxins are a mycotoxin produced by a specific type of fungi and can be harmful with long term exposure. It is very rare to be exposed to aflatoxin through food in developed countries, however nuts are a place where they tend to be most commonly detected. Specifically peanuts and peanut butter are most likely to have the presence of aflatoxins when tested. Therefore, peanuts are perfectly safe to consume in moderation, but opting for other nut options first such as almonds, pistachios, walnuts, cashew and macadamia nuts is a great approach to take.
To simplify all this information, a small handful of unsalted raw mixed nuts daily is a reasonable and ideal goal to aim for.
A Final Word
If you want to learn more about naturopathic medicine and how we approach integrative cancer care you can read more on that here. You can also reach out to us for support!
Ready to make a change?
If you're searching for more guidance and understanding of how you can support a breast cancer diagnosis or survivorship with naturopathic medicine, you can book a complimentary consult with me here.
Yours in health,
Dr. Hayhlee Clarence, ND
References
Wang, C., Gu, K., Wang, F., Cai, H., Zheng, W., Bao, P., & Shu, X. O. (2022). Nut consumption in association with overall mortality and recurrence/disease-specific mortality among long-term breast cancer survivors. International journal of cancer, 150(4), 572–579. https://doi.org/10.1002/ijc.33824
Government of Canada. (2019). Aflatoxins in Selected Corn Products, Nuts, Nut Products, Raisins, Cocoa Powder, Chili Powder and Paprika - April 1, 2012 to March 31, 2013. https://inspection.canada.ca/food-safety-for-industry/food-chemistry-and-microbiology/food-safety-testing-bulletin-and-reports/aflatoxins/eng/1557171015830/1557171066945