Actress Christina Applegate's breast cancer has got much of media coverage and drew attention from millions of readers.

With a gene mutation in BRCA1, a woman like Applegate would be at a high risk for breast cancer for sure.  But does that mean women with this or other mutations have to definitely get breast cancer?   The fact is that not all women with defective genes end up having the disease. Why?

A recent study published in the August 18, 2008 issue of Carcinogenesis again reminds us that diet and lifestyle make a huge difference. The study showed that high fiber bread was significantly associated with a 25 percent decreased breast cancer risk.

High fiber bread was also linked to reduced risk of both estrogen receptor alpha positive and estrogen receptor beta positive breast cancer.

The same study found that fried potatoes on the other hand were statistically significantly associated with increased risk of estrogen receptor negative breast cancer.   Remember acrylamide in fried potatoes? This chemical has been suspected to be a risk factor for breast cancer.

The study was led by Sonested E and colleagues at Lund University in Malmo, Sweden.

Another study released in the April-June, 2008 issue of Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention showed poor antioxidant status was associated with increased risk of breast cancer.  Specially, low intake of vitamin A was linked with 200 percent higher risk of the disease while low intake of vitamin E was associated with a nearly 300 percent higher risk compared to those who had high intake of these antioxidants.

The study was conducted by Sharhar S and colleagues at National University of Malaysia.

We have reported many studies showing many diet factors may reduce the risk of breast cancer.

If I were Christina Applegate, I would seriously consider using a diet full of the anticancer compounds.   Please read more here on how a diet affects breast cancer risk.

Breast cancer: What you need to know