Beta-carotene and breast cancer risk in people
What it found
Eating more beta-carotenoids was linked to a lower risk of breast cancer in the studies reviewed.
The evidence comes from studies in people.
What they found
Studies in people
Link to breast cancer
The studies together point to a link between beta-carotenoids and breast cancer risk. Eating more beta-carotenoids may help lower the risk of developing breast cancer.
Tumour type and people
The authors note that the link by type of tumour and by personal characteristics is still unclear.
Other findings
Study quality checked
Each included study was checked for quality and risk of bias, then grouped by quality.
What the authors conclude
“The evidence from the included studies confirms that there is an association between β-carotenoids and breast cancer risk; the dietary intake of β-carotenoids may be beneficial in reducing the risk of developing breast cancer.”
Also in their conclusions
- They conclude that the evidence from the included studies confirms an association between beta-carotenoids and breast cancer risk.
- They say that dietary intake of beta-carotenoids may be beneficial in reducing the risk of developing breast cancer.
How it was done
Diet is suspected to influence the risk of developing breast cancer. Some beta-carotenoids have been linked to lower breast cancer risk, but the link by tumour type and personal characteristics is still unclear.
The authors looked at epidemiological studies published between 2014 and 2020, found through PubMed and EMBASE. They started with 1559 results and included 28 studies on beta-carotenoids and breast cancer. They checked the quality of each study and grouped them by quality.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- These are studies that follow people over time or survey them. They can show a link, but they cannot prove that beta-carotenoids cause the change in risk.
- The link by type of tumour and by personal characteristics is still unclear.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- Universitat de Valencia, Spain; Biomedical Research Center Network for Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Spain
The paper
- Title
- Is There an Association between β-Carotene and Breast Cancer? A Systematic Review on Breast Cancer Risk
- Type
- Systematic review
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Peraita-Costa I, Carrillo Garcia P, Morales-Suárez-Varela M (2022). Is There an Association between β-Carotene and Breast Cancer? A Systematic Review on Breast Cancer Risk. Nutrition and cancer. doi:10.1080/01635581.2020.1865422PubMed 33356587DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error