Walnuts Added To Diet Of Gene-Modified Mice Cut Cancer Risk In Half

U.S. researchers report that the risk of breast cancer was significantly reduced in mouse models of cancer when their diet was enriched with small amounts of walnut. The study compared a typical diet with a walnut-fortified diet over the lifespan of the animals: through the mother from conception through weaning, and then through eating the food directly. The amount of walnut used to feed the mice was equivalent to about two ounces a day for humans. The researchers said the walnut group developed breast cancer at less than half the rate of the group with the typical diet. And the number of tumors and their sizes were significantly smaller. "We were able to reduce the risk for cancer even in the presence of a preexisting genetic mutation," the researchers said.