Home cooks can help lower their cancer risk by selecting certain foods to use in their recipes, one expert has indicated.

Dr Marilyn Glenville, a nutritionist specialising in women's health, emphasised that getting enough vitamin D is essential, as is the consumption of cruciferous vegetables.

"Research has shown that, often, high levels of insulin for women are linked to an increased risk of breast cancer and that comes from our diet," she continued.

Dr Glenville highlighted that refined carbohydrates and sugar will trigger the release of insulin in the body, therefore increasing the risk of breast cancer.

Reuters Health recently published an article showing that because breast cancer has not been detected in a family before, does not mean that members are safe from the disease.

Researchers tracking more than 6,000 women for up to six years found that most cases of breast cancer occurred in those without a family history of the disease.