The Zoomer Report: Green Tea, Mushrooms and Breast Cancer

A study out of Australia finds that women who get plenty of mushrooms and green tea in their diets may have a lower risk of developing breast cancer.

The study, of more than 2,000 Chinese women, found that the more fresh and dried mushrooms the women ate, the lower was their breast cancer risk. Those who ate 10 grams or more per day were about two thirds less likely to develop breast cancer than than those who don’t eat any.

And mushroom eaters who also drank green tea everyday had only 11 to 18 per cent of the breast cancer risk of women who consumed neither.

The rate of breast cancer in China is four to five times lower than in developed countries, But it is increasing as the country continues to adopt a more western diet. These findings suggest that traditional diets may help explain China’s lower breast cancer incidence.

This is the first study linking mushrooms and green tea to lower breast cancer risk, and scientists caution it’s too early to say there’s a cause-and-effect

Photo ©iStockphoto.com/ alphavisions

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About The Zoomer Report

Libby Znaimer, a prominent Canadian journalist specializing in business, politics, and lifestyle issues, is producer and host of The Zoomer Report, a special feature on topics of interest to baby boomers and the 50+. It covers everything from health and wealth to leisure and volunteerism, from the special vantage point of the generation that has changed society in its wake.

Ms. Znaimer is also Vice-President of News and Information for Classical 96.3FM and AM740. Her first book, “In Cancerland – Living Well Is The Best Revenge” – was published in October 2007 by Key Porter.

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