The Breast Cancer Prevention Diet by Dr. Bob Arnot: Unscientific and Deceptive - A Disservice to American Women

Abstract

The following report is a critical review of the recently published book by NBC's chief medical correspondent, Dr. Bob Arnot, entitled, The Breast Cancer Prevention Diet: The Powerful Foods, Supplements, and Drugs That Can Save Your Life. The review represents the official opinion of the American Council on Science and Health (ACSH), a nonprofit public health education and advocacy group supported by a board of over 250 scientific and policy advisors. The scientists at the ACSH express their profound concern about the misleading, unscientific, and speculative advice that Dr. Arnot offers to women who wish to reduce their risk of breast cancer, i.e., to all women. The ACSH believes, first, that in the absence of sound, peer-reviewed evidence supporting such advice, there is harm in recommending lifestyle modifications for the purpose of preventing breast cancer. The ACSH also believes that a physician (and particularly one in a position of public trust, such as a professional media health expert) should refrain from selling advice based on the twin philosophies that "you can't afford to wait" for the evidence, and that "you can only improve your health" with this diet. Indeed, unproven interventions such as those put forth in this book can have negative effects on both physical and psychological health. The ACSH contacted many of the scientists quoted or cited in Dr. Arnot's book. Some expressed concerns regarding the book's message or the misrepresentation of their work or both. Those physicians affiliated with the Memorial-Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) in New York, while expressing their concerns about the claims made in the book, informed the ACSH that they had been "advised" not to comment on The Breast Cancer Prevention Diet. The MSKCC public relations office acknowledged that the center had serious concerns about the Arnot book and that these concerns had been conveyed to the publisher, Little, Brown and Co., and to Dr. Arnot. The MSKCC representative noted that Dr. Arnot had "graciously" agreed to delete all references to MSKCC from future editions.