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Ovarian Cancer

Reduce Ovarian Cancer Risk With a Plant-Based Diet That Avoids Dairy

Avoiding dairy products and increasing fruit, vegetable, and soy consumption may be beneficial for reducing ovarian cancer risk and improving survival.

In the United States, ovarian cancer is the third most common cancer of the female reproductive system and the sixth most common cause of cancer death in women, according to the American Society of Cancer’s 2024 annual report.1 Most ovarian cancers occur in women aged 50 or older. Other risk factors include genetic mutations such as the BRCA mutations, a history of breast, uterine, or colorectal cancer, Eastern European or Ashkenazi Jewish background, and endometriosis.

Ditch Dairy Products

Research shows that dairy products, specifically whole milk, may increase the risk of ovarian cancer.2  The relationship between dairy products and ovarian cancer may be due to the breakdown of the milk sugar (lactose) into galactose, a sugar that may be toxic to ovarian cells.3 Two studies, one conducted in Sweden and one conducted among African American women, showed that consuming lactose and dairy products was positively linked to ovarian cancer.4,5 The Iowa Women’s Health Study found that women who consumed more than one glass of milk per day had a 73% greater chance of developing ovarian cancer than women who drank less than one glass per day.6

One study followed women with and without cancer from the African American Cancer Epidemiology Study and monitored consumption of dairy products, lactose, calcium, and vitamin D and cancer incidence rates.7 Those with the highest intake of whole milk and lactose increased their risk for ovarian cancer, compared with those who consumed the least, while those who consumed the most calcium decreased their risk for cancer by 49%.

A Harvard School of Public Health analysis of 12 studies found a 19% increase in ovarian cancer for women consuming greater than 30 grams of lactose per day, the equivalent of three or more servings of dairy milk. However, when this paper looked at those consuming more than three servings of milk per day, there was no significant association with ovarian cancer.8 Women who consume more dairy before a diagnosis of ovarian cancer have also been found to have a higher risk of dying from their cancer.9

Try these healthful, plant-based sources of calcium without the added risk from dairy.

Avoid Meat and Ultra-Processed Foods

According to the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition research, industrial trans fats, which are found in commercially baked foods and other ultra-processed foods, and fat used for deep frying foods, were linked to an increased risk of ovarian cancer.10 Trans fats can promote inflammation and oxidative stress in the body, which are in which conditions cancer cells flourish. Total dietary fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol are also associated with an increased risk of ovarian cancer.11 Saturated fat and cholesterol are largely found in animal products. Processed meat is associated with an increased risk of ovarian cancer and other hormone-related cancers, such as breast and prostate cancer.12

Eat Fruits, Vegetables, and Soy

A meta-analysis published in 2020 found that women who ate the most fruit and vegetables before a diagnosis of ovarian cancer had an 18% and 22% lower risk of dying, respectively.13 Cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower, in particular, have been found to reduce the risk of developing ovarian cancer and to improve survival in women diagnosed with ovarian cancer.14,15 It has been suggested that the isothiocyanates found in cruciferous vegetables have anti-cancer properties.16 Green leafy vegetables, fiber, and flavonoids found in plants have also been linked to a lower risk of ovarian cancer.11

Soy foods and isoflavones (a form of phytoestrogens) are associated with a lower risk of ovarian cancer, possibly working by binding to estrogen receptors in the ovaries and thereby blocking the cancer growth-promoting effect of human estrogen.17 Women who consume the most soy foods were found to have a 48% lower risk of ovarian cancer according to a meta-analysis in the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.18 Soy is also protective against other hormonal cancers, such as breast cancer, while red and processed meat may increase the risk of ovarian cancer.19

A vegan diet may help provide the most protection. Research from the Adventist Health Study-2 found that vegan women had a 29% decreased risk for female-specific cancers including breast, ovarian, and uterine cancers, compared with nonvegetarians.20

Plant-Powered Prescription for Ovarian Cancer

  • Replace dairy milk with soy milk.
  • Eat at least one serving of soy products per day.
  • Eat at least two servings of fruit and three servings of vegetables per day, including cruciferous vegetables.
  • Avoid ultra-processed foods that can contain trans fats, such as cookies and potato chips.
  • Choose plant foods instead of animal products to lower your saturated fat intake.
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References

  1. Dizon DS, Kamal AH. Cancer statistics 2024: all hands on deck. CA Cancer J Clin. 2024. doi:10.3322/caac.21824
  2. Liao MQ, Gao XP, Yu XX, et al. Effects of dairy products, calcium and vitamin D on ovarian cancer risk: a meta-analysis of twenty-nine epidemiological studies. Br J Nutr. 2020;124(10):1001-1012. doi:10.1017/S0007114520001075
  3. Cramer DW, Greenberg ER, Titus-Ernstoff L, et al. A case-control study of galactose consumption and metabolism in relation to ovarian cancer. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2000;9:95-101.
  4. Larsson SC, Bergkvist L, Wolk A. Milk and lactose intakes and ovarian cancer risk in the Swedish Mammography Cohort. Am J Clin Nutr. 2004;80:1353-1357. doi:10.1093/ajcn/80.5.1353
  5. Qin B, Moorman PG, Alberg AJ, et al. Dairy, calcium, vitamin D and ovarian cancer risk in African American Women. Br J Cancer. 2016;115:1122-1130. doi:10.1038/bjc.2016.289
  6. Kushi LH, Mink PJ, Folsom AR, et al. Prospective study of diet and ovarian cancer. Am J Epidemiol. 1999;149:21-31. doi:10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a009723
  7. Qin B, Moorman PG, Alberg AJ, et al. Dairy, calcium, vitamin D and ovarian cancer risk in African-American women. Br J Cancer. 2016;115(9):1122-1130. doi:10.1038/bjc.2016.289
  8. Genkinger JM, Hunter DJ, Spiegelman D, et al. Dairy products and ovarian cancer: a pooled analysis of 12 cohort studies. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2006;15(2):364-372. doi:10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-05-0484
  9. Jiang L, Gong TT, Gao S, et al. Pre-diagnosis dairy product intake and ovarian cancer mortality: results from the Ovarian Cancer Follow-Up Study (OOPS). Front Nutr. 2021;8. doi:10.3389/fnut.2021.750801
  10. Yammine S, Huybrechts I, Biessy C, et al. Dietary and circulating fatty acids and ovarian cancer risk in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2020;29(9):1739-1749. doi:10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-19-1477
  11. Khodavandi A, Alizadeh F, Razis AFA. Association between dietary intake and risk of ovarian cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Eur J Nutr. 2021;60(4):1707-1736. doi:10.1007/s00394-020-02332-y
  12. Rosato V, Negri E, Parazzini F, et al. Processed meat and selected hormone-related cancers. Nutrition. 2018;49:17-23. doi:10.1016/j.nut.2017.10.025
  13. Hurtado-Barroso S, Trius-Soler M, Lamuela-Raventós RM, Zamora-Ros R. Vegetable and fruit consumption and prognosis among cancer survivors: a systematic review and meta-analysis of cohort studies. Adv Nutr. 2020;11(6):1569-1582. doi:10.1093/advances/nmaa082
  14. Hu J, Hu Y, Hu Y, Zheng S. Intake of cruciferous vegetables is associated with reduced risk of ovarian cancer: a meta-analysis. Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2015;24(1):101-109. doi:10.6133/apjcn.2015.24.1.22
  15. Wei YF, Hao YY, Gao S, et al. Pre-diagnosis cruciferous vegetables and isothiocyanates intake and ovarian cancer survival: a prospective cohort study. Front Nutr. 2021;8:778031. doi:10.3389/fnut.2021.778031
  16. Mitsiogianni M, Koutsidis G, Mavroudis N, et al. The role of isothiocyanates as cancer chemo-preventive, chemo-therapeutic and anti-melanoma agents. Antioxidants (Basel). 2019;8(4):106. doi:10.3390/antiox8040106
  17. Qu XL, Fang Y, Zhang M, Zhang YZ. Phytoestrogen intake and risk of ovarian cancer: a meta- analysis of 10 observational studies. Asian Pac J Cancer Prev. 2014;15(21):9085-9091. doi:10.7314/apjcp.2014.15.21.9085
  18. Myung SK, Ju W, Choi HJ, Kim SC, The Korean Meta-Analysis (KORMA) Study Group. Soy intake and risk of endocrine-related gynaecological cancer: a meta-analysis. BJOG. 2009. doi:10.1111/j.1471-0528.2009.02322.x
  19. Wallin A, Orsini N, Wolk A. Red and processed meat consumption and risk of ovarian cancer: a dose-response meta-analysis of prospective studies. Br J Cancer. 2011;104(7):1196-1201. doi:10.1038/bjc.2011.49
  20. Tantamango-Bartley Y, Jaceldo-Siegl K, Fan J, Fraser G. Vegetarian diets and the incidence of cancer in a low-risk population. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2013;22(2):286-294. doi:10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-12-1060