Micronutrients & recovery
High dietary intake of specific carotenoids (alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, lutein/zeaxanthin) and vitamins (A, C) from foods is inversely associated with breast cancer risk in premenopausal women, particularly those with a positive family history or high alcohol consumption.
If you are premenopausal, focus on getting alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, lutein, zeaxanthin, vitamin A, and vitamin C from whole fruits and vegetables rather than supplements. This is especially important if you have a family history of breast cancer or drink alcohol regularly, as the protective association is strongest in these groups. Postmenopausal women without hormone therapy may not see the same benefits from these specific nutrients.
Strong inverse associations were found for increasing quintiles of a-carotene, b-carotene, lutein/zeaxanthin, total vitamin C from foods, and total vitamin A among premenopausal women with a positive family history of breast cancer.
Why this rating
Large prospective cohort (83,234 women), long follow-up (14 years), repeated dietary measures, but observational design limits causal inference.
Source
Dietary Carotenoids and Vitamins A, C, and E and Risk of Breast Cancer
S Zhang et al. · JNCI Journal of the National Cancer Institute · 1999
DOI 10.1093/jnci/91.6.547
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