Walnuts may offer omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants and phytosterols that reduce the risk of breast cancer, according to a study presented in April at the American Association for Cancer Research’s 100th annual meeting in Denver.

Researchers from Marshall University in Huntington, W. Va., fed mice a daily diet that contained the equivalent of 2 oz of walnuts a day in humans. Walnut consumption significantly decreased breast tumor incidence, the number of glands with a tumor and tumor size.

"These laboratory mice typically have 100% tumor incidence at five months," said Dr. Elaine Hardman, Ph.D., associate professor of medicine at Marshall University School of Medicine. "Walnut consumption delayed those tumors by at least three weeks."

For more information, visit the web site of the California Walnut Commission, Folsom, Calif., at www.walnuts.org.

This article can also be found in the digital edition of Milling and Baking News, May 5, 2009, starting on Page 48. Click