Strict diet twice a week cuts breast cancer risk

A new study has indicated that a strict diet for two days a week consisting solely of vegetables, fruit, milk and a mug of Bovril could prevent breast cancer.

Women who cut back to just 650 calories a day, twice a week, had significantly lower levels of cancer-causing hormones in their blood, the study found, reports the Daily Mail.

The researchers said women at high risk of breast cancer could be put on similar diets for the rest of their lives to try to prevent tumours developing.

The study examined 50 overweight women aged 30 to 45 who were deemed to have a high genetic risk of developing breast cancer, as either their mother or sister had suffered from the disease.

For two days each week they were limited to eating just a third of the recommended 2,000-calorie daily intake for women.

This had to include four portions of vegetables, one piece of fruit, two pints of semi-skimmed milk and either green tea, a diet soft drink or a salty beverage such as a cup of hot Bovril. For the remainder of the week they were allowed to eat as much as they wanted, as long as they stuck to healthy food that was relatively low in fat.