Adding more colorful fruits and vegetables to your plate may do more than support your overall health. As reported by EatingWell, a new study published in NPJ Breast Cancer found that women who consumed the highest amounts of flavonoid-rich foods had a 15 percent lower risk of breast cancer than those who consumed the least.
The study followed more than 93,000 women for nearly 12 years and looked at their intake of flavonoid-rich foods, including apples, oranges, berries, grapes, grapefruit, onions, sweet peppers, dark chocolate and tea.
While the overall eating pattern appeared to matter most, apples and oranges stood out. Higher apple intake was associated with a lower breast cancer risk, while women with higher orange intake saw one of the strongest associations among the individual foods studied.
One of the most encouraging findings was that the association remained even among women with a higher genetic risk for breast cancer. While diet cannot change family history or inherited risk, the findings suggest that everyday food choices may still play a supportive role alongside routine screenings and medical care.
Red wine was also included in the study’s flavonoid score, but removing it from the analysis did not change the results. That means the potential benefit was not driven by alcohol, and the findings should not be taken as a reason to start drinking wine for breast health.
The study was observational, so it cannot prove that flavonoid-rich foods directly prevent breast cancer. Participants also self-reported what they ate, and the study population was limited to women of white European ancestry. Still, the large sample size and long follow-up make the findings worth noting.
According to the study’s findings, there is no single miracle food, but eating more colorful fruits, vegetables and plant-based foods may offer another reason to build them into your daily routine.
