Grapefruit may help keep heart and gum diseases at bay, but a new study has found that it can be dangerous for women, as it increases the risk of breast cancer.
Grapefruit may help keep heart and gum diseases at bay, but a new study has found that it can be dangerous for women, as it increases the risk of breast cancer by almost a third.
Researchers believe that this happens because eating the fruit can give the levels of oestrogen – the hormone associated with the risk of breast cancer – a boost.The findings were based on a study carried out by researchers at the universities of Southern California and Hawaii, that included more than 50,000 post-menopausal women from five ethnic groups.
The group included 1,657 women who were suffering from breast cancer.
The researchers found that eating as little as a quarter of the fruit can increase the danger by 30 percent in women.
"This is the first report of a commonly consumed food that may increase the risk of breast cancer among post-menopausal women," the Daily Mail quoted the researchers, as saying.
"Whole grapefruit intake was significantly associated with breast cancer in the present study - generally a 30 per cent increase among women who consume the equivalent of one quarter of a grapefruit or more per day.
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"Since it is well established that oestrogen is associated with breast cancer risk, it is plausible that regular intake of grapefruit would increase a woman's risk of breast cancer," they added.
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Source-ANI
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