A new study shows that those women whose diets were low in red meat, sodium and processed carbohydrates and high in plant based foods and legumes may have a somewhat decreased risk of developing one type of breast cancer,

The findings, from a large, long-running study of U.S. nurses, showed that women with diets high in plant foods — but low in red meat, sodium and processed carbohydrates — tended to have a lower risk of developing certain breast tumors.

Of more than 86,000 women the study followed for 26 years, slightly less than one percent developed ER-negative breast cancer.

The risk, researchers found, was lower among women whose diets most closely resembled the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet — an eating plan experts recommended for lowering blood pressure. It emphasizes vegetables, fruit, fiber-rich grains, legumes and nuts, and low-fat dairy.