High Blood Beta-Carotene Tied To 68% Fewer Breast Cancer Deaths
The Nurses' Health Study tracked 32,826 women for 20 years, logging 2,188 cases and measuring carotenoids straight from blood draws.
- Women in the top beta-carotene fifth had 28% lower overall breast cancer risk (RR 0.72).
- That same top fifth cut recurrence or death risk 68%, the steepest drop measured (RR 0.32).
- Blood drawn 10-plus years before diagnosis still showed a 31% lower risk (RR 0.69).
Why it matters: Blood was measured directly, not recalled from memory; most diet studies rest on what people say they ate.
Eliassen et al., "Plasma carotenoids and risk of breast cancer over 20 y of follow-up," Am J Clin Nutr 2015 (candidate match, unconfirmed; PMID 25877493) ↗ · Sep 14, 20269/14/26