It's well known that a high-fiber diet contributes to a number of health improvements, including weight loss, lower diabetes risk, and even reducing and preventing asthma and allergy symptoms. Now a new study led by researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health has found that women who adopt a diet high in fiber, especially fruits and vegetables, during adolescence or early adulthood can significantly lower their risk for breast cancer.

"Previous studies of fiber intake and breast cancer have almost all been non-significant, and none of them examined diet during adolescence or early adulthood, a period when breast cancer risk factors appear to be particularly important," said Maryam Farvid, lead researcher, visiting scientist at Harvard Chan School, in a statement. "This work on the role of nutrition in early life and breast cancer incidence suggests one of the very few potentially modifiable risk factors for premenopausal breast cancer."

Farvid and researchers analyzed questionnaires filled out by 90,534 women in 1991 who were participating in the Nurses' Health Study II, a continuing investigation into factors that influence women's health. The women were between the ages of 27 and 44 when they filled out the initial questionnaire and were asked to return every four years to fill out similar questionnaires gauging food intake. In 1998, the participants were asked to complete another questionnaire about their diet during high school.

Women who reported eating more dietary fiber during young adulthood were between 12 and 19 percent less likely to develop breast cancer, depending on how much they ate. A diet high in fiber during adolescence was also linked to a 16 percent reduction in overall breast cancer risk and 24 percent lower risk before menopause. For every additional 10 grams of fiber, equivalent to one apple and two slices of whole wheat bread, or about half a cup each of cooked kidney beans and cooked cauliflower or squash, the women lowered their breast cancer risk by 13 percent.

"From many other studies we know that breast tissue is particularly influenced by carcinogens and anti-carcinogens during childhood and adolescence," said Walter Willett, senior author and Fredrick John Stare Professor of Epidemiology and Nutrition at Harvard Chan School. "We now have evidence that what we feed our children during this period of life is also an important factor in future cancer risk."

Although the research team was unsure as to what exactly caused a high-fiber diet to lower breast cancer risk for these women, they believe that eating foods high in fiber lowers estrogen levels in the blood, something highly associated with breast cancer development. Similar studies have suggested a high-fiber diet can control prostate cancer progression in men by preventing cancer cells from creating new blood vessels that needed to survive.

The bottom line is women need at least 21 to 25 grams of fiber a day and men at least 30 to 38 grams a day.

Q and A

Q: Will an exercise journal help me be more active?

A: An exercise journal is a way to track and log your exercise to see progress toward your physical activity goals and to plan your next steps. By keeping track of what types of exercise you do and when you do it, an exercise journal can help keep you accountable to yourself for the goals you set. Even if you feel discouraged by an unusually inactive day, seeing your progress can help you stay on track. Tracking also provides a reality check if one inactive day is growing into a pattern of inactivity. Keeping an exercise journal can also be a valuable tool to problem-solve how you will deal with barriers you encounter. You'll be able to identify days, times and forms of exercise with which you seem to be most successful, and when there's a consistent pattern of missing planned activity. For example, do plans work out better for morning, lunchtime or evening exercise? Do you stick with your plans better when committed to a group, one friend, or getting time alone? If you want to change your physical activity habits or want to maximize chances you'll stick with current habits, experiment with different kinds of exercise journals. Try a simple paper form that you can personalize to track what's important to you. Check out apps or online sources, which often offer some bells and whistles like graphing your progress or other motivational messages. What you track depends on your goals. Walkers and runners might track distance, steps, time or pace. Track strength-training progress by listing amount of weight and number of sets and repetitions to help you know where to start and when to advance the challenge so you keep gaining strength. To help you start and stick with exercise, keep track of what physical activities you try and what you enjoy most. Also, add notes about how you feel on the days you exercise to remind yourself of the boost in energy or mood that you feel each time you're active. Tracking could be just the help you need to make time for physical activity more often. — American Institute for Cancer Research.

RECIPE

Cauliflower has come into its own. Try it in this pizza crust for a low fat, high fiber alternative to regular pizza crust. The recipe is from Eating Well's Good & Fresh magazine.

Cauliflower-Crust Pizza

4 cups cauliflower florets

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/4 cup shredded Italian cheese blend

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup panko bread crumbs

1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning, crushed

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms

1 cup yellow or green sweet pepper strips

1 small red onion, cut into thin wedges

1 teaspoon olive oil

3/4 cup pizza sauce

1 cup shredded Italian cheese blend

Snipped fresh basil, oregano and or parsley

Place cauliflower, in batches, in a food processor. Pulse until cauliflower resembles the texture of couscous. Place a pizza stone or baking sheet in the oven. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place cauliflower in a microwave-safe dish with 2 tablespoons water. Cook, covered, 3 to 4 minutes or until tender, stirring once or twice. Cool. Transfer to a 100 percent cotton flour sack towel. Wrap towel around cauliflower and squeeze dry.

In a bowl, stir together drained cauliflower and next six ingredients (through salt). On parchment paper, pat cauliflower mixture into a crust 12 inches in diameter. Transfer crust on paper to the preheated pizza stone. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until crisp and brown. Meanwhile in a large skillet, cook and stir the mushrooms, pepper strips and onion in hot oil 4 to 6 minutes or until crisp-tender. Remove from heat. Spread pizza sauce on baked crust. Top with cooked vegetables. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake 5 minutes or until heated and cheese is melted. Sprinkle with herbs. Makes 4 servings.

Per serving: 264 calories, 17 g protein, 18 g carbohydrate, 14 g fat, 76 mg cholesterol, 4 g fiber, 893 mg sodium.

Charlyn Fargo is a registered dietitian at Hy-Vee in Springfield, Ill., and the media representative for the Illinois Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. For comments or questions, contact her at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter @Nutrition Rd. To find out more about Charlyn Fargo and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com

Photo credit: Luca Nebuloni