One type of analysis is called the dose-response and here, the research pulled together the findings from 15 studies. Each of these studies analyzed the difference in risk for increments of 10 grams of fiber. This tells you that for every 10 grams of fiber eaten daily (the dose) there is a 5 percent lower risk of breast cancer (the response). So someone who ate 10 grams would have 5 percent lower risk than someone who ate 0 grams. It’s highly unlikely anyone is eating no fiber every day, but this says that every increment of 10 grams links to a 5 percent lower risk.

The second type of analysis groups people together by how much fiber they typically eat and compares the high range group to the low range group. The researchers looked at the 16 studies that each investigated the link between high versus low dietary fiber intake and breast cancer risk. Here, the analysis did not look at specific amounts of fiber consumption, but pulled together the findings from each study to see that those who ate the most fiber had a 7 percent lower risk of breast cancer than those who ate the least.