"Eating a highfiber diet https as a teenager including lots of fruits https and vegetables may be another tool to help women lower their risk for later breast cancer https A new study looking at diet and health data from more than  women found that those who reported consuming the highest amount of fiber during high school about  grams a day had a significantly lower risk of breast cancer before menopause compared with those who said they ate less than  grams a day. The researchers from Harvards T.H. Chan School of Public Health whose study appears in the journal Pediatrics analyzed data from a large ongoing national study of nurses focused on factors that influence womens health. The results of this study emphasize the role of an early life highfiber diet on prevention of breast cancer in later life. High consumption of foods rich in fiber such as fruits vegetables and whole grains in early life may help to reduce breast cancer incidence lead author Maryam Farvid a visiting scientist at Harvard told CBS News. The findings showed that breast cancer risk was  to  percent lower among women who ate more dietary fiber in their youth depending on how much more they ate. Eating more fiber during adolescence was linked to a  percent lower risk of breast cancer https overall and a  percent lower risk of breast cancer before menopause. Farvid said the findings show that each additional  grams per day increase in fiber intake during adolescence https reduced the risk of breast cancer by  percent. Having the recommended  to  grams of fiber daily would decrease the risk by  percent and potentially even greater with higher fiber intake Farvid said. Women are doing themselves a huge favor in terms of breast cancer prevention if they increase the amount of dietary fiber https intake earlier in life rather than later. Eating more fruits and vegetables https was especially beneficial the researchers said. Breast cancer  ways to reduce your risk  https Healthy highfiber food choices https include apples pears raspberries artichokes green peas broccoli split peas lentils beans whole wheat pasta whole grain bread brown rice bran flakes and oatmeal. Why would these foods have such an impact In an accompanying editorial Duke University Medical Centers Dr. Kimberly Blackwell said theres longstanding evidence that dietary fiber may cut down on circulating estrogen levels through changes in the gut microbiome https She said that recently more evidence has come to light suggesting a relationship between dietary fiber and breast cancer risk and that eating more fiber would be a simple way to reduce risk. One weakness she pointed out in the study is that the women were asked to recall details about their adolescent diet when they were in their s and s. Nevertheless Blackwell said It is reasonable for pediatricians to encourage a highfiber diet and include decreasing breast cancer risk https as one of the potential benefits. Dr. Stephanie Bernik chief of surgical oncology at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York told CBS News It lends support to the fact that we need to encourage people to start healthy habits earlier on.  Lesserknown signs of breast cancer women should watch out for https Dr. Deanna Attai assistant clinical professor of surgery at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California Los Angeles said that while its an observational study not a clinical intervention its larger point about diet and health is important. The sexy headline is eat this and youll have a lower risk of breast cancer but Id shift the focus to eat more fiber because its better for you and youll be a healthier person and youre less likely to be obese and have chronic inflammation and other things that will reduce your risk for heart disease and cancer along the way said Attai. She added The message is a good one as far as increasing fiber but it also has to be put in perspective. This is just one mechanism by which we can reduce risk and it does warrant further study."