Exploring the role of dietary factors in the development of breast cancer.

The aim of the current review is to assess the magnitude of the breast cancer, and to explore the contribution of different dietary constituents in both the causation and the prevention of the disease. An exhaustive search for all materials related to the topic was made in different search engines, including PubMed, World Health Organization Web site, and Google scholar, for a duration of 30 days (June 2014). Relevant documents, systematic reviews, technical publication series, research articles, books, and guidelines focusing on the association of dietary factors and breast cancer, published in 1998-2014 were included in the review. Overall, 56 articles were selected based on the suitability with the current review objectives and analyzed. Although specific foods and nutrients have been attributed to the causation of breast cancer, the association of the same with overall diet is still inconsistent and unexplored. As the etiology of breast cancer is multifactorial and because contribution of each factor in the development of the disease is still unclear, early detection of the disease remains the crucial factor in breast cancer control. To conclude, a definite direct or inverse association has been observed in the development of breast cancer with the dietary nutrients, and thus there is an urgent need to develop cost-effective and readily available approach for the early detection and treatment of breast cancer, especially among women from low-resource settings.