Diet 'can reduce risk of breast cancer by 70%'

Eating the right diet could cut the chances of contracting breast cancer by up to 70 per cent, a controversial new study claims today.

The report, published in the Nutrition Journal, found that a diet rich in foods such as broccoli, carrots and fish could radically reduce the risk of a range of cancers.

Dr Michael Donaldson of the Hallelujah Acres Foundation in North Carolina, who led the research, said: "With the correct diet it is likely that there would be at least a 60 to 70 per cent decrease in breast and prostate cancers, and even a 40-50 per cent decrease in cancers at other sites.

"Such a diet would be conducive to preventing cancer and would favour recovery from cancer as well." The report recommends that people change their lifestyle and diet and double the recommended daily intake of vegetables. It also advised taking supplements such as vitamin B12 and selenium to boost the body's defences.

However, some experts warned that the research could raise patients' expectations too high.

Richard Sullivan of Cancer Research UK said: "This research really over-eggs the pudding in terms of the effect it actually has. The key is really to have a balanced diet above anything else."