Eating walnuts may help fight breast cancer: Study

In this first clinical trial, women with breast lumps large enough for research and pathology biopsies were recruited and randomised to walnut consuming or control groups.

Immediately following biopsy collection, women in the walnut group began to consume two ounces of walnuts per day until follow-up surgery.

Pathological studies confirmed that lumps were breast cancer in all women who remained in the trial.

At surgery, about two weeks after biopsy, additional specimens were taken from the breast cancers.

Changes in gene expression in the surgical specimen compared to baseline were determined in each individual woman in walnut-consuming and control groups.

RNA sequencing expression profiling revealed that expression of 456 identified genes was significantly changed in the tumour due to walnut consumption.

The study showed activation of pathways that promote apoptosis or programmed cell death and cell adhesion and inhibition of pathways that promote cell proliferation and migration.

“These results support the hypothesis that, in humans, walnut consumption could suppress growth and survival of breast cancers,” Hardman said.

“Additional research through a larger-scale study would be needed to clinically confirm that walnut consumption actually does reduce the risk of breast cancer or breast cancer recurrence,” said Hardman.