欧洲一项研究发现，那些喜欢吃很多淀粉和糖的年长妇女可能具有更高的罹患一种不常见但是更致命的乳腺癌风险。

The findings from a study of nearly 335,000 European women, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, do not prove that sweets, French fries and white bread contribute to breast cancer - but they do hint at a potential factor in a little understood form of breast cancer.

　　研究了近33.5万名欧洲妇女之后，研究者虽没能证明甜食、薯条和白面包会导致乳腺癌，但是却发现其可能是一种很少见的乳腺癌类型的潜在危险因子，该结果发表在美国临床营养杂志上。

Specifically, the study found a link between high "glycemic load" and breast cancers that lack receptors for the female sex hormone estrogen, so-called "ER-negative" breast cancers.

　　具体说来，该研究发现了高“糖负荷”与“ ER 阴性（缺乏雌激素受体）”乳腺癌有关。

A high glycemic load essentially means a diet heavy in foods that cause a rapid spike in blood sugar, such as processed foods made from white flour, potatoes and sweets.

　　高血糖负荷指的是那些可以迅速导致血糖升高的食物，比如由面粉、土豆和甜食加工而成的食品。

The study, conducted by Isabelle Romieu of the International Agency for Research on Cancer in Lyon, France, looked at nearly 335,000 women who took part in a long-running European study on nutrition factors and cancer risk.

　　该研究由法国里昂国际癌症研究中心指导，共有近33.5万名妇女参与，旨在观察营养因素与癌症风险关系。

Of these, 11,576 developed breast cancer over a dozen years. Overall, there was no link between breast cancer risk and glycemic load, as estimated from diet questionnaires the women completed at the study's start.

　　在12年的研究中，这些人中有11,576名患上乳腺癌。根据妇女在研究开始所填的饮食调查问卷来看，没有发现血糖负荷与乳腺癌有关。

But the picture changed when the researchers focused on postmenopausal women with ER-negative cancer. Among women in the top 20 percent for glycemic load, there were 158 cases of breast cancer, versus 11 cases in the bottom 20 percent - a 36 percent higher risk.

　　但当研究重点改为ER阴性乳腺癌的已绝经妇女时，却发现，血糖负荷排名前20%的人群中有158例患者，而血糖负荷垫底的20%人群中只有11例，患病风险增加了36%。

ER-negative tumors account for about one-quarter of breast cancers. They typically have a poorer prognosis than ER-positive cancers because they tend to grow faster and are not sensitive to hormone-based therapies.

　　ER阴性占乳腺癌的四分之一。该类型与 ER阳性相比预后更差，因其生长迅速并且对基于激素为主的治疗不敏感。

Christina Clarke, a research scientist at the Cancer Prevention Institute of California in Fremont, and a consulting assistant professor at Stanford University, said the results are interesting because so little is known about what cases ER-negative breast cancers. Most breast tumors have their growth fueled by estrogen.

　　来自斯坦福大学癌症预防机构的 Christina Clarke副教授说道，该结果很有用，因为对 ER阴性乳腺癌的病因了解很少。大部分的乳腺癌都是由雌激素刺激导致。

"This study gives us a really important clue for future research," said Clarke, who was not involved in the study.

　　“该结果对将来研究的方向有很重要的指导意义”， Clarke说，虽然她并未参与该研究。

Diets with a high glycemic load are associated with a bigger secretion of insulin, a hormone that regulates blood sugar. High insulin levels, in turn, have been linked to certain cancers, possibly because insulin helps tumors grow.

　　高糖负荷的饮食与高胰岛素分泌有关，胰岛素不仅可以降糖，而且因其潜在的可促进肿瘤生长使其与某些癌症相关。

The current findings hint at a role for "insulin pathways" in ER-negative breast cancer, Clarke said, adding that more research definitely needs to be done.

　　Clarke说，目前的结果预示 ER阴性乳腺癌可能与胰岛素通路有关，这就需要更多的关于该方面的研究。

She noted that while there is no single factor in any woman's risk of breast cancer, the findings offer more incentive to eat a balanced diet that limits refined carbohydrates in favor of healthier fare - like lean protein, vegetables, "good" fats and high-fiber grains.

　　她指出，虽然目前没有明确发现具体的乳腺癌患病因子，但该结论可警示人们减少精加工碳水化合物的摄入，提倡更健康均衡的饮食，如瘦肉、蔬菜、“优质”脂肪和高纤谷物。

"Really, you want to avoid these (high glycemic load) diets anyway," she added.

　　她说：“你的确应该去避免这些高血糖负荷的食物了。”