Eating cruciferous vegetables might improve the survival rate in breast cancer patients, according to the results of a new study.

Breast cancer awareness reception (Photo credit: Downing Street)

At the American Association for Cancer Research 103rd Annual Meeting, the Shanghai Breast Cancer Survival Study showed that eating cruciferous vegetables during the first 36 months after a diagnosis of breast cancer was associated with a reduced risk for total mortality, breast-cancer-specific mortality, and recurrence in a population of 4886 Chinese women. (read full article)

The risk for total mortality decreased by 27% (to 62%), the risk for breast-cancer-specific mortality decreased by 22% (to 62%), and the risk for recurrence decreased by 21% (to 35%).

Dr. Nechuta, the lead researcher of the study, commented the following from the study:

• commonly consumed cruciferous vegetables in China include turnip, Chinese cabbage/bok choy; where as broccoli and brussels sprouts are the most commonly consumed curciferous vegetables in U.S and other Western countries
• the amount of intake among Chinese women is much higher than that of American women

Cruciferous vegetables include the following: bok choy, broccoli, turnip, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage, kale, rutabaga, arugula