Grapefruit spikes breast cancer risk

Posted on Jan 23rd 2008 9:00AM by Jacki Donaldson

Filed Under: Womens Health, Diet & Weight Loss, Nutrition & Supplements

I was sure when I saw the article The Grapefruit-Cancer Connection in February's Redbook magazine that I'd discover yet another study proving that diets high in fruit significantly slash the risk of breast cancer. This is exactly what I did not find.

According to a study published in the British Journal of Cancer, grapefruits contain chemical compounds that may affect the way estrogen is metabolized, leading to higher concentrations of the hormone -- a known risk factor for breast cancer -- in the bodies of postmenopausal women. Researchers are not yet sure how grapefruit consumption affects premenopausal women.

Those critical of this study, which put study participants in a 30 percent higher risk category after eating half of a grapefruit every other day, cite a pesticide problem. Even if hormonal factors are present, they say, it could be the pesticides responsible for the real risk.

Until all details are ironed out, women -- especially those who have already had a form of breast cancer fueled by estrogen -- should consider substituting other fruits. The American Cancer Society recommends eating five servings a day of a variety of fruits of vegetables to limit exposure to potentially harmful substances from any single food.

For more about the grapefruit-cancer connection, check out this article.

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56 Comment

Tags: breast, cancer, estrogen, grapefruit, Jacki Donaldson, JackiDonaldson, postmenopausal, risk

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)

Kathy 1-23-2008 @ 2:16PM

COME ON...............Every thing gives you cancer. That's always the claim when they can't blame anything else. God knows..........THEY could NEVER be wrong.

Lisa 1-23-2008 @ 8:22PM

Now a days everything gives you cancer. I just think it's how we humans deal with the fact that we are all going to die one day. We like to think we can control that and keep it from happening, when in reality there is NOT one thing we can do to stop each and everyone of from dying. Sorry folks, we all are going to get that kiss of death. NO matter what we eat or not eat or do or don't do. It will happen. So go ahead and eat your grapefruits. I am sure the benefits of eating one out weighs the supposed risks.

tina 1-23-2008 @ 7:38PM

Ouch Lisa.......I agree none of us are leaving here alive but certainly what you eat (organic or not) and how you live your life (exercise and low stress) will undoubtedly affect the length and more importantly the quality of your life. There is no magic “pill” to healthy longevity. It is the combination of our genes as well as our environment that contribute to our health as well as the longevity of our life.

Keeping an open mind and acknowledging the link between pesticides and cancer, which has been well established through numerous previous studies, will lead to an open mind and a better understanding of all the variables of this study. Although I have not read this particular study I have read enough studies to suspect there will inevitable be issues with this particular study.

My suggestion is to take the time to read “A Silent Spring” by Rachel Carson.

VickiM66 1-23-2008 @ 8:22PM

I normally get organic grapefruit but one day got some nice looking conventional ones. I peeled it and began to eat it when I noticed something strange on my hands. It was this white flaky stuff all over my hands and straight onto the peeled juicy grapefruit laying in the palm of my dirty flaky hand. It was whatever they spray on it to make it look healthy. Nasty. I threw it away. From now on, if I get a conventional one, I wash it before eating it.

EB 1-23-2008 @ 8:17PM

The flaky stuff in your hand was wax, which is added after fruit is washed
http://www.sunkist.com/products/how_citrus_trees.asp

L 1-23-2008 @ 8:22PM

Until this study uses organic grapefruit entirely...its findings are fallacious.

Pesticides and herbicides are known to be endocrine disruptors and estrogen mimickers. Why aren't they focusing on these chemicals instead of the grapefruit itself??

It is widely known that Pectasol, a compound made from grapefruit bioflavonoids, ACTUALLY KEEPS CANCER FROM SPREADING IN THE BODY. So it then follows that this study is fundamentally flawed.

UP-Ken 1-23-2008 @ 8:17PM

I agree with you about Organic Grapefruit. This study is full of BS! The British Cancer society is probably partially funded by Big Pharma just like the American Cancer Society. They will come up with all they can to take away natural healthy foods from us. They create a fear and then we are left with "drugs and chemicals" supplied to us by Big Pharma.

Big Pharma does not make any money from a "cure". We live longer but the number of Cancer cases keeps increasing. We are not making any headway with a solution to Cancer or most disease for that mater.

The study named the culprit....Pesticides!! But the media notes the fruit instead. Cancer; I believe is caused by the polution, pesticides, herbicides, the modern fertilizers used in farming, and the destruction of nutrients in food by the food processes that we have in modern foods. Organic and protected foods are healthy alternatives to what is sold in stores.

Eat healthy, including cleansed fruits and vegetables...and LIVE!

deb 1-23-2008 @ 8:22PM

I had breast cancer 7 years ago and we are still trying to figure out how this happened. No family history.

Linda 1-23-2008 @ 8:18PM

Well, it's important to keep in mind that research shows that approximately 85% of cases of breast cancer occur in women with no family history of the disease. The point is that we still do not really know what causes cancer; we have evidence of some possible causes, and we have ideas, and we have elements that are associated with higher instances of breast cancer. But--no firm knowledge yet of causes.

Debbie 3-21-2008 @ 3:50AM

I still think it's our deodorant that we put in our lymph nodes..My mom used Secret; however, I think we should use the natural (non-anti) in order to allow our natural sweat glands to perspire. With the 'anti' in in doesn't allow it...Our skin absorbs everything...I've pondered many questions and often think of Paul McCartney's wife (a vegetarian) as before I always thought it was meat..I've been reading lately that people shouldn't continue to use the same soaps, detergents, shampoos, and other common daily ingredients used everyday create the same chemicals/toxins in our bodies.

Gerry 1-23-2008 @ 8:21PM

The sad thing about this is that the media does not report about two things proven to increase the risk of breast cancer, that is ABORTIONS AND CONTRACEPTIVES.

Look on google the links on abortion and beast cancer and you will see 38 medical studies supporting this evidence.

Eric 1-23-2008 @ 8:16PM

Hey Gerry (a male commenting on breast cancer),

First of all, why would using contraceptives lead to higher incidents of breast cancer? Could you please cite some legitimate studies in this regard? Second, this article limited itself to the question of whether eating grapefruit causes higher incidents of breast cancer. Did you know that men also get breast cancer, and yet not any man I've ever heard of has had an abortion, nor has ever used a chemical contraceptive (men use condoms for contraception). Even more, I would wager that prostitutes have more abortions and use contraceptives much more than the rest of the female population, and yet I'm not aware that prostitutes as a group have higher incidents of breast cancer.

Therefore, your comments about abortions (and contraceptives) causing higher rates of breast cancer come across to the rest of us for what they are -- religious propaganda intended to further your own narrow-minded, limited cause of bringing "Jesus" to the hearts of everyone, regardless of whether we want to or not.

Once again, this article is about how grapefruits might affect your health, in particular your chances of getting breast cancer. We don't care about your brainwashed, clueless religious fanaticism. I'm sure there's another more appropriate forum for you to post such pathetic and ridiculous comments! Why don't you go find them and leave the rest of us alone.

Cheryl 1-23-2008 @ 8:21PM

Oh come on now... get real, I am just not buying all these scares they keep telling us about. My theory is that some of us are more likely to contract cancer and some of us aren't. Those who aren't could eat, drink and live in the worst places and still not get cancer and those that are could eat all the right things, drink only what they should and live in the cleanes enviorment and still get cancer. It's the luck of the draw, it all. Some of us are lucky and others aren't so lucky. End of tale.

Joyce 1-23-2008 @ 8:21PM

If grapefruit puts you at a higher risk for breast cancer, is that also true of oranges and other citrus type fruit?

Linda M 1-23-2008 @ 8:21PM

Why do they print these things with absolute proof? And when they say something is healthy for us, the price goes way, way up...did the grapefruit people not pay their dues???????

Courtney 1-23-2008 @ 8:21PM

You're not supposed to eat grapefruit while on birth control either-- it makes it ineffective.

Scott Brown 1-24-2008 @ 12:06AM

Does this remind anyone else of that time in late '04, when the American Heart Association published a review of a whole bunch of vitamin E studies which statistically indicated that subjects had a 10% better chance of dying when taking high doses of E?

I even recall one overweight "health expert" pontificating that one should beware of not just E, but all nutritional supplements because: "Cancer uses vitamins, too." With a smug, patronizing smile. (True, dear, and cancer needs water, as well. Your point, again?)

Fact was, the AHA had backwardly staticized the results of 19 different studies, designed for a range of different purposes, in which the subjects mainly had one thing in common: they were not well people to start with. They were ailing with one thing or another, and that is why they were in those studies in the first place. Another case of lies, damned lies, and statistics. In this case, benefiting heart surgeons and the billion dollar pharmaceutical industry.

Now it's grapefruit. Which grapefruit? Grown where? Grown how? I'm in complete agreement with L's comment. Until you have a test done with true organically grown grapefruit from pesticide and petrochemical free soil, you've got nothing to report. May as well tell us mushrooms kill people (just answer True or False).

kim 1-23-2008 @ 8:20PM

i know when i used to play basketball they used eat oranges all the time, maybe when you're active like that its good to make sure you have enough vitamin c i guess cause you're burning energy and you need to replenish it with the oranges. and if you're not active than it doesn't burn it and it stays in your system i don't know.. i don't know i know i don't like orange juice especially in the morning cause my stomach doesn't like it..

Lara 1-23-2008 @ 8:20PM

if we listened to what THEY say NOT to eat ,we would never end up being able to eat ANYTHING!! all we hear anymore dont eat this, disease that, PLEASE LET US EAT AND BE HAPPY!!!! STOP TRYING TO SCARE PEOPLE!!!! =p

--it is more wortwhile to live a fun-filled-super-fantastic-amazingly-awseome-adventurous MONTH....then to live a boring healthy, non-exciting LIFETIME!
-LARA (ME!!!!!) XD