Breast Cancer | Health & Wellness

5 Things You Can Do to Help Prevent Breast Cancer

breast cancer awareness 300x281 5 Things You Can Do to Help Prevent Breast Cancer October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and a good time to think about the preventative measures that women can take to help reduce their chances of getting breast cancer. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), one in every eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime, and although men can also get breast cancer, women are 100 times more likely to get it than men. The National Cancer Institute reports that over 207,000 women diagnosed with breast cancer in 2010, and nearly 40,000 of them died from it.

“Breast cancer is something that all of us as a society need to be aware of, because it is so prevalent,” explains Pam McCullough, the director of the nursing program at Stratford University’s Woodbridge campus (www.stratford.edu). “The silver lining here is that there are things that we can do to help prevent or reduce our risks of getting breast cancer.”

There are some factors over which we have no control that may contribute to our cancer risks. These include things like a family history of breast cancer, our genetics, age and gender, and our menstrual cycles. (Those who started their period before the age of 12 are at a higher risk.) But many things that we do have the ability to change can lower our risks.

Here are 5 things you can do to help prevent breast cancer:

Maintain a health weight. Maintaining a healthy weight is important for keeping the body healthy and reducing cancer-rate risks. As obesity continues to be a growing problem in the country, so too do the myriad of health-related problems that stem from it.
Watch the meats. The NIH recommends that people limit their intake of both processed and red meats. Both have been linked to various increases in certain types of cancer.
Eat your fruits and veggies. Fruits and vegetables should be the cornerstone of every healthy diet. They are packed with nutrients and contain the necessary antioxidants that the body needs in order to fight free radicals and help reduce cancer-rate risks.
Limit alcohol. Having more than one or two alcohol drinks per day increases breast cancer rates. Therefore, it is advised that women drink no more than one alcoholic drink per day. Those who already have a higher breast cancer risk are advised to refrain from alcohol.
Exercise. Being physically active and getting enough exercise is important for maintaining a healthy body and staying at an ideal weight. To maintain a healthy weight, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that people work their way up to doing at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity each week, 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity per week, or a combination of the two. This means that everyone should aim to get at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity activity at least five days per week.

Additionally, those who are taking long-term hormone therapy may want to speak with their doctor about alternatives, because long-term use increases risks. There is also ongoing research into the link between exposure to air pollution and an increased breast cancer risk.

“Prevention is the first step toward taking care of our own health,” adds McCullough. “There are some factors that we cannot do much to change, like our genes, but there are many lifestyle choices that we can make that will help reduce risks. It is important to take them seriously and apply them to our lives.”

Breast Cancer: Protect Yourself With Nutrition

breastcancernutrition 220x300 Breast Cancer: Protect Yourself With Nutrition Who among us doesn’t know somebody who has dealt with breast cancer? I count myself lucky that I know many more survivors than I do those who have lost their battle. Getting mammograms as recommended by your doctor is important for early detection, but you can also take proactive measures to protect yourself from breast cancer.

There are many risk factors for cancer; some, such as family history and age, can’t be controlled. But other risk factors, such as your weight, are in your control. While the American Cancer Society states that the link between weight and breast cancer is conflicting and complex, factors such as gaining weight in adulthood and carrying more weight around your waist can increase your breast cancer risk. The ACS recommends staying at a healthy weight to reduce your risk. A light, nutritious diet and a regular exercise routine will help you maintain a healthy weight. But, for added protection, you can also incorporate some diet-friendly foods with cancer-fighting properties.

- Almonds, olive oil and avocados contain oleic acid, an Omega-9 fatty acid that helps kill cancer cells.

- Barley, oats, beans and ground flaxseed contain lignans, a phytochemical that may make estrogen less biologically active and may reduce cancer-related growths.

- Dark chocolate, purple grape juice and red wine contain flavonoids which repel free radicals. Just don’t go overboard on the chocolate and wine!

- Dark-green vegetables (e.g. kale, spinach or broccoli) and deep-orange fruits and vegetables (e.g. squash, carrots or mangoes) contain vitamin A which is thought to reduce the damage free radicals create in the body.

- Green leafy vegetables, peas, beans and citrus fruits contain folate. A Swedish study concluded that women with high folate levels had a 44 percent lower risk of getting breast cancer.

- Tomatoes, watermelon and guava contain lycopene, which may inhibit the growth of breast cancer cells.

- Cruciferous vegetables such as cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage and Brussels sprouts contain sulforaphane which inhibits the growth and spread of cancer cells.

- Fatty fish (e.g. salmon) and eggs contain vitamin D which has been linked to lowered breast cancer risk. You can also find vitamin D in fortified milk and orange juice.

Study: Fish Oil Reduces Risk of Breast Cancer

fish oil 1 300x206 Study: Fish Oil Reduces Risk of Breast Cancer More than one in four cancers in women are breast cancer and about one in every eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime — those are the scary statistics each woman should know. With that knowledge, women also need to know how to combat their risk of breast cancer –the latest being fish oil.

Known for their omega-3 fatty acids that benefit our heart, reduce inflammation, arthritis and also have anti-aging properties, fish oil may also reduce the risk of breast cancer by almost one-third. Researchers from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center studied over 35,000 postmenopausal women who took 15 different supplements including fish oil for six years. During that time 880 of them were diagnosed with breast cancer. Out of all of the women, the ones who had fish oil in their diet were less likely to develop breast cancer.

So — make sure to add fish oils — both in supplement form and from eating salmon and other fish high in omega-3s to your diet. In addition to the internal health benefits, it’ll also promote youthful skin!

Study: Breast Density and Cancer

mammogram 211x300 Study: Breast Density and Cancer Noticing the size of a woman’s breasts is what we normally pay attention to, but who thinks about their density? Nobody. Well, it’s something you should start paying attention to –- new studies have found that as breast density goes up, so does the risk of breast cancer.

Research has shown that the risk of cancer is four to six time greater for women with very dense breasts as opposed to women who don’t have dense breasts. The best thing to do is to track your density each year as it can change.

The next time you get your yearly mammogram, ask your doctor about your numbers -– including your breast density and how the numbers calculate in your overall risk of breast cancer.

Broccoli Might Battle Breast Cancer

broccoli 300x199 Broccoli Might Battle Breast Cancer A new study by researchers at the University of Michigan finds that eating broccoli might battle breast cancer. In mice, sulforaphane — a compound found in broccoli — seemed to kill breast cancer stem cells.

After treating mice who had breast cancer with sulforaphane, researchers found that the mice had fewer cancerous cells plus new tumors didn’t occur after treatment. Initial tests on human breast cancer tissue resulted in similar reductions in cancer stem cells.

While researchers can’t officially correlate that the same would hold true in humans, the “research suggests a potential new treatment that could be combined with other compounds to target breast cancer stem cells,” a study author said.

Anti-Depressant Paxil Interferes With Breast Cancer Treatment

paxil 300x197 Anti Depressant Paxil Interferes With Breast Cancer Treatment Canadian researchers have found that the popular anti-depressant Paxil may interfere with breast cancer treatment — causing more patients to have relapses or even die, in the worst cases.

Women who took Paxil while also taking tamoxifen — the standard therapy for breast cancer — at the same time were more likely to die of their breast cancer, and the longer both drugs are used together, the higher the risk becomes.

Researchers recommend speaking to a doctor immediately to switch to another antidepressant as the study did not find any other medications to increase risk.

7000 Women Misdiagnosed with Breast Cancer Each Year

breastcancer 201x300 7000 Women Misdiagnosed with Breast Cancer Each Year In a new study by UK’s NHS, more than 7,000 women were found to be misdiagnosed with breast cancer. Researchers claim that thousands of women who get routine breast cancer screenings are mistakenly told that they have life-threatening cancer and undergo unnecessary treatment each year.

In the cases cited by the study, women who have non-malignant tumors undergo surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy — treatments that are potentially harmful themselves. The non-life threatening tumors can alternatively be removed by conventional methods.

Researchers are suggesting improvements in treatment, rather than detection through screening, however. The study cautions physicians from ‘over-diagnosing’ their patients.

Study: Alcohol Raises Breast Cancer Recurrence Risk

A new study found that cancer is 34% more likely to come back in breast cancer survivors who drink more than three alcoholic beverages a week, compared with those who abstain or drink less.