Charlyn Fargo, Contributor

A diet rich in soy, fish and vegetables reduces a woman's risk of breast cancer. - Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer

A new study finds that your diet can play a role in the risk for breast cancer. Older Chinese women who eat a Western-style diet consisting of meats and sweets appear to have a greater risk for breast cancer than women who eat mainly soy and vegetables. The study was published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.

What's important about this study, say researchers, is that it signals a link between breast cancer and overall eating patterns - not a single food or nutrient - in Asian women, who have long had lower rates of the disease than Western women. But their numbers have started to rise as their diets have become more Westernised.

The study looked at general eating habits of about 3,000 women in Shanghai, ranging in age from 25 to 64. About half of that group had been diagnosed with breast cancer and are participants in an ongoing breast cancer study in Shanghai. All the women were interviewed at length about their diets, answering questions about how often they ate 76 different items commonly found in Shanghai. Researchers then categorised the women into one of two dietary groups.

The 'meat-sweet' group loaded up on red meat, shrimp, fish, candy, desserts, bread and milk. The 'vegetable-soy' group stuck to tofu, vegetables, sprouts, beans, fish and soy milk. Post-menopausal women in the meat-sweet group showed a 60 per cent greater risk of developing the most common kind of breast cancer, the kind fuelled by the hormone oestrogen, compared to those in the vegetable-soy group, according to United States (U.S.) and Chinese researchers who conducted the study. U.S researchers were from the Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia - Intelihealth.com.

WINNING QUESTION

Q: When choosing a frozen meal is there an upper limit on sodium I should watch for?

A: If frozen meals fail to say reduced-sodium or healthy, they often contain 700 to 1,800 milligrams of sodium. Try to stick to meals with 500 mg or less. If you don't need a tight limit, you might be able to meet recommendations with up to 800 mg in a meal if the rest of your day's choices are pretty low in sodium.

The total recommended daily sodium limit is 2,300 mg for most adults, or 1,500 mg for those who are salt-sensitive (those with high blood pressure, and many African-American, middle-aged and older adults). It's the daily total that counts, so if you eat a lot of high-sodium snack foods, high-sodium processed foods, or restaurant food you need to stick to lower limits than if the frozen meal is your sodium splurge.

You also need to consider whether the frozen dish is your whole meal or what other foods you will add. Serving fresh vegetables or fruits with the entrée will add very little sodium, but if you plan to add bread or a salad containing regular salad dressing, those foods will add to the meal's sodium tally, too. (American Institute for Cancer Research).

WINNING RECIPE

This recipe for Spicy-Sweet Slaw, from Health magazine, replaces the traditional mayo with a vinaigrette, which has just 1 tablespoon of oil.

SPICY-SWEET SLAW

4 cups packaged cabbage and carrot coleslaw

1 ¹/⁴ cups red bell pepper, cut into 2-inch strips

¹/² cup diagonally cut escallions

1 cup halved grape or cherry tomatoes

For vinaigrette

2 tablespoons prepared horseradish

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

1 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon canola oil

Yields 6 (1-cup) servings.

Preparation

In large bowl, toss cabbage and carrot coleslaw, red bell pepper, scallion and grape tomatoes together. Set aside.

To make vinaigrette: Combine horseradish and next four ingredients (through to salt) in small jar and shake until well blended. Remove lid and add canola oil. Shake again. Or whisk ingredients together in a small bowl. Pour dressing over salad and toss to coat vegetables. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.

Nutritional analysis per serving: 59 calories, one gram protein, nine grams carbohydrate, 2.5 grams fat, no cholesterol, two grams dietary fibre, 217 mg sodium.

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