June 1/London/Daily Mail -- A diet rich in walnuts may significantly lower the risk of breast cancer.

In a new study, mice that had been genetically engineered to develop breast cancer were fed with a normal diet and compared with those fed with a walnut-enriched diet.

The mice fed with walnuts were less likely to develop tumors, and if they did, the tumors were smaller and slower growing. The findings were presented at the American Association for Cancer Research.

Walnuts have several components, such as omega-3 fats, antioxidants, phytosterols and polyphenols, that have been shown to reduce the risk or slow the growth of cancer in studies in the laboratory. More research is needed to see if this effect could be reproduced in humans.  

From the June 8, 2009, Prepared Foods E-dition