Fruit and vegetable juices and breast cancer

Abstract

Abstract Breast cancer (BC) is one of the most common types of cancer, being the second leading cause of death among women aged between 40 and 55 and accounting for 30% of all new cancer diagnoses. As part of a healthy lifestyle, fruit and vegetable juices (FVJ) are consumed in view of the health-promoting potential that they may offer. These beneficial properties can be ascribed to their content in vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals such as carotenoids, polyphenols, organic acids, and organosulfur compounds with interesting properties. Several studies have been carried out using different experimental models in order to evaluate the association between FVJ and BC risk. In this chapter, a review of recently published data addressing this topic was performed. While the consumption of whole fruit and vegetable is likely to decrease the risk of BC, the beneficial effect of their respective juices is not still completely clear, as data is often inconclusive or even contradictory. Further in vitro, in vivo, and epidemiological studies should be performed to clarify this issue.