AACR Logo Most of us consume a variety of foods and may not actually pay attention to the amount of cadmium or zinc in our diets. Well, a report by the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) has revealed that dietary cadmium may be associated with increased risk for breast cancer.

In the trial, nearly 55,987 women were inspected for more than 12 years. The amount of dietary exposure to cadmium was calculated by means of a questionnaire. In the course of the follow-up phase, nearly 2,112 cases of breast cancer surfaced out. The incidences were inclusive of 1,626 estrogen-receptor positive breast cancer while about 290 individuals suffered from the receptor-negative form of it.

“Because of a high accumulation in agricultural crops, the main sources of dietary cadmium are bread and other cereals, potatoes, root crops and vegetables. In general, these foods are also considered healthy,” commented Agneta Akesson, Ph.D., associate professor at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden.

As per the results, high proportion of dietary cadmium seemed to be associated with 21% increased breast cancer risk. With respect to thin and normal weight females, the risk percentage was approximately 27%.

Both forms of breast cancers stated above carried similar risks that came up to almost 23%. Notably, the team found that women who consumed higher amounts of vegetables and whole grains apparently had lower chances of encountering breast cancer.

Though vegetables and other healthy alternatives may avert the negative effects of cadmium in the diet, further studies are required to affirm it. The study is published in the journal, Cancer Research.