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About one in eight American women will develop breast cancer in their
lifetime - an increase of 53% since 1950. And we're often told that breast cancer risk
factors are beyond our control. Breast cancer risk factors include race, age, reproductive
history and the #1 risk - gender!
But fortunately, evidence clearly shows that a healthy lifestyle
and breast cancer prevention diet can significantly reduce your risk.
Strategies to Reduce Your Risk for Developing Breast Cancer
- Increase your vegetable consumption. Eating
five servings a day of vegetables helps keep you looking good, keeps
blood sugar levels stable, and also helps keep you healthy by providing
important vitamins and minerals that your body needs. There are
numerous studies showing that those who increase their daily servings
of fruit and vegetables lower their risk dramatically for insulin
resistance, obesity, hypertension, heart attacks, and cancer.
- Increase the amount of fiber in your diet. Fiber helps reduce the estrogen circulating in your body. Healthy high fiber
foods include whole grains, beans and fresh fruit and vegetables,
especially those rich in carotenoids, flavonoids and cruciferous
phytonutrients.
- Stay physically active. At least two hours a week of moderate exercise, such as brisk walking,
has been shown to decrease the development of breast cancer by 18%.
It's highly recommended that you exercise for a half-hour or more every
day.If you haven't been particularly active in the past, start your
exercise program slowly and gradually work up to a greater intensity.
Try to include weight-bearing exercises such as walking, jogging or
aerobics .
- Avoid smoking and smokers. The latest research shows women
who smoke or those who are exposed to tobacco smoke, especially over a
long period of time, could be up to 40% more likely to develop breast
cancer. But quitters do benefit.
- Limit or eliminate alcohol. Drinking any kind of alcohol is
strongly linked to breast cancer. Studies show those who drink two or
more daily alcoholic beverages develop breast cancer at nearly twice
the rate of those who drink no alcohol at all. So limit yourself to no
more than one drink a day or, even better, avoid alcohol completely.
- Improve dietary fat profile. Eliminate trans fat, decrease saturated fat and increase your intake of olive oil, omega 3
and other healthy and essential fatty acids. Keep your fat intake
between 25 and 30% of calories and limit processed and red meats.
- Reach and maintain a healthy weight. There's a clear link between obesity — weighing more than is
appropriate for your age and height — and breast cancer. This is
especially true if you gain the weight later in life, particularly
after menopause. Excess fatty tissue is a source of circulating
estrogen in your body. And breast cancer risk is linked to how much
estrogen you're exposed to during your lifetime. To reduce your risk limit the consumption of high glycemic carbohydrates,
which tend to lead to obesity. These include sweets, sugary drinks and
refined bakery goods like cake, cookies and white bread.
- Eliminate high glycemic foods. Eating a healthy low glycemic diet, by choosing low glycemic foods from the glycemic index list of foods can help you to choose good quality fats, prevent insulin
resistance and reach and maintain your healthiest weight.
- Have children early and breastfeed. Studies suggest time
spent in pregnancy and breastfeeding, especially before the age of 30,
decreases your risk of breast cancer.
- Reduce exposure to carcinogens. Avoid cancer causing foods,
unnecessary x-rays, inhaling or physical contact with insecticides,
herbicides or other carcinogens. Also avoid hormone replacement
therapy, since the HRT cancer link is now clear and there are healthier solutions to handling unpleasant menopause symptoms.
- Take quality nutritional supplements. Certain nutrients have been shown to help prevent breast cancer. These include vitamins A, D, E and omega 3 fish oil capsules.
And although soy is controversial, studies clearly show soy protein
reduces your risk of breast cancer. So add good quality natural nutritional supplements to your diet.
- Ta;k with your doctor about whether hormonal therapy is right for you. If you're taking hormone therapy for menopausal symptoms, ask your
doctor about your options. You may be able to manage your menopausal
symptoms with exercise, dietary changes or nonhormonal therapies that
have been shown to provide some relief. If none of these is effective,
you may decide that the benefits of short-term hormone therapy outweigh
the risks. In that case, your doctor will likely encourage you to use
the lowest dose of hormone therapy for the shortest period of time.
New Research
Scientists are forever exploring new research in regards to fighting cancer. Two promising studies include the use two natural agents: flaxseed and flaxseed.
- Flaxseed. Flaxseed is particularly high in lignan, which
appears to decrease estrogen production and which may inhibit the
growth of some breast cancers.
- Retinoids. Research is indicating that natural or
synthetic forms of vitamin A (retinoids) may have the ability to
destroy or inhibit the growth of cancer cells.
About Breast Cancer
More than one million women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year worldwide resulting in more than 400,000 deaths. Breast cancer ranks second as a cause of cancer death in women after lung cancer. As a result, breast cancer is
one of the most intensively researched forms of cancer. Suppressing
hormone production and blocking hormone receptors are two
tried-and-proven strategies in the battle against cancer.
Related Breast Cancer Resources and Web Pages
For more help, contact:
- NCI's Cancer Information Service
Telephone
(toll-free): 1–800–4–CANCER (1–800–422–6237)
TTY (toll-free):
1–800–332–8615
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