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Low-carb diet may reduce breast cancer risk factors

Category: Breast

A low-carb diet may help women lose excess weight and improve blood tests for insulin levels, says a new study from a team of British researchers. The team believes that these benefits could reduce a woman's risk of developing breast cancer.

"Weight loss and reduced insulin levels are required for breast cancer prevention, but [these levels] are difficult to achieve and maintain with conventional dietary approaches," said lead researcher Michelle Harvie, of the University Hospital in South Manchester.

In order to find a more effective weight loss strategy, she and her team compared the benefits of an intermittent low-carb diet - in which individuals restrict the amount of carbohydrates they eat two days per week - to a Mediterranean-style diet that was low in calories.

Results showed that those who followed the low-carb diet lost more weight and maintained healthier insulin levels as confirmed by blood tests.

A strict low-calorie diet can be very difficult for individuals to comply with. But the flexibility built into the intermittent low-carb diet may be a better option for those who are risk of developing breast cancer.