Eggs-centric study - goodnews - Brief Article

When scientists asked older women to recall their dietary habits during their teen years, they found an interesting correlation: Women who ate one egg daily as teenagers were 18 percent less likely to develop breast cancer as adults.

The study--performed at Harvard Medical School and published in the February 24, 2003 edition of Breast Cancer Research-focused on 121,707 women aged 40 to 65. It is one of several new studies that continue to suggest a link between diet and incidence of breast cancer.

Risk of cancer as an adult was also lower among women who had eaten the most vegetable oils and fiber during their teen years. On the other hand, women who reported eating one pat of butter per day during their teenage years had a slightly higher risk of adult breast cancer.

The research is open to criticism because scientists asked older women to remember their dietary habits during their teen years.

The researchers offered no explanation for the potential link between eggs and reduced breast cancer risk. However, eggs contain essential amino acids, minerals and vitamins, which may explain their protective effect.