Want To Know How To Avoid Breast Cancer?

“Up to a third of breast cancers could be avoided.”

Now that’s a newspaper headline that makes me want to dig a little deeper. I’m guessing you’d have the same reaction.

I had a sneaking suspicion what the “bottom line” would be, but nevertheless I kept reading to see if my suspicions would be on target. And indeed they were!

It’s not about being right……but rather about being on the right track!

So here’s what the article had to say.

In Spain at a breast cancer conference, researchers said that if women in Western countries ate less and exercised more, up to a third of breast cancer cases could be avoided. These figures come from the International Agency for Research on Cancer, which is a part of the World Health Organization.

Using better treatments and early diagnosis and screenings have all slowed breast cancer rates. So, the experts feel it’s time to shift the focus to changing behaviors like diet and physical activity.

According to Carlo La Vecchia, the head of epidemiology at the University of Milan, “What can be achieved with screening has been achieved. We can’t do much more. It’s time to move on to other things.”

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women.

A woman’s lifetime chance of getting breast cancer is about one in eight. Obese women are up to 60% more likely to develop any cancer than normal weight women.

In the 1980’s and 1990’s breast cancer rates steadily increased as obesity rates increased and women started using estrogen-containing hormones after menopause.

Many breast cancers are fueled by estrogen, a hormone produced in fat tissue. The fatter a woman is the more estrogen she is likely to produce, which in turn could fuel breast cancer.

So the more fat you turn into muscle, regardless of your weight, the better your chances are of reducing your cancer risk.

Your gender, age, and family history, three major risk factors, are beyond your control. But lifestyle choices are NOT!

It seems to me that it’s foolish to ignore the increasingly stronger evidence linking lifestyle and breast cancer.

Even the American Cancer Society is recommending 45 to 60 minutes of physical activity five or more days a week to reduce the risk of breast cancer.

While changing your lifestyle to include better nutrition and exercise so that you maintain a fit and trim body may be hard, it is not impossible……..and I think the potential benefit of preventing cancer is well worth it.

What do you think?

shelli