Could 5:2 diet cut breast cancer risk?

WOMEN can slash their risk of breast cancer by going on the 5:2 diet, scientists have revealed.

More than 50,000 women are diagnosed with the disease every year in the UK.

But a study shows changes in breast tissue triggered by the diet could prevent the disease from developing.

It means women who cut their calorie intake for two days a week “could have a potentially life-saving effect”.

The study was carried out by charity Genesis Breast Cancer Prevention.

It found that following a low-calorie diet for two days per week, commonly known as the 5:2 diet, can lead to cancer-preventing changes in the breast tissue.

The diet trialled in the study involved two days on a low-carb, low-calorie diet, with the remaining five days on a healthy, Mediterranean-style diet.

Dr Michelle Harvie, research dietitian at Genesis, led the research.

She said: “We know that weight loss can reduce the risk of diseases such as breast cancer. However, people often find sticking to a continuous low-calorie diet difficult and can ‘fall off the wagon’, so to speak, very quickly.

“Until now, we did not know what effect an intermittent diet had on the breast itself and what changes, if any, take place when following such a plan.

“It’s important to note that further research would need to be done to confirm how the diet could prevent breast cancer.”

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