10 Keys to Reduce Your Risk for Breast Cancer

Sherrie sat across from her doctor with fear gripping her stomach. The expression on his face told her the prognosis didn’t look very good. And she was right. As gently as he could, the doctor gave her the dire news. Sherrie had breast cancer.

Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in American women and the 2^nd leading cause of death. It’s estimated that 1 in every 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer. Although there are many factors which contribute to this disease, here are 10 keys to give us hope. We can minimize our risk of ever hearing the same prognosis as Sherrie.

1. Eat More Vegetables and Onions

In 2009, an important study tested the ability of 34 vegetables to suppress tumor cells in 8 kinds of cancers (lung, kidney, brain, stomach, prostate, pancreas, breast and childhood brain tumors). Six vegetables were found to cut the rate of cancer cell growth in half while 5 stopped them completely. One group of vegetables, in particular, stopped tumor cells from growing 100% in 7 of the 8 cancers tested. The 6 vegetables that cut cancer cell growth by at least 50% included radishes, red bell peppers, spinach, radicchio, beets and all vegetables in the allium family (onions, garlic, leeks, shallots, green onions and scallions). In all the vegetables tested, the alliums were the most successful in stopping all cancer growth 100% in 7 of the 8 different tumors.

2. Eat Lots of Cruciferous Vegetables

These are vegetables that come from the cabbage family and include broccoli, kale, bok choy, brussel sprouts, col-lards, cauliflower, mustard greens, radishes, turnips, rutabaga, arugula, kohlrabi as well as all the cabbages. Cruciferous vegetables have been found to be twice as effective in reducing cancer as any other vegetable. As their intake goes up 20%, cancer rates drop 40%. They not only strengthen the body’s natural defenses against DNA damage, leading to cancer growth, they even fuel the body’s ability to block the formation of cancer cells and to replicate themselves in the body.

3. Use 1 tablespoon of ground flax or chia seeds daily

Flax and chia seeds are the richest sources of lignans, which inhibit cell growth in breast tumors. In fact, in one study of women scheduled to have breast tumors removed, half of them ate a muffin containing flax and the other ate a control muffin (no flaxseed)—every day for 32-39 days. When their tumor tissue was analyzed, even in this short time frame, the women who had the daily flaxseed muffins had lower amounts of tumor cell growth than the women who had no flaxseed.

4. Avoid eating animal protein

Dr. Joel Fuhrman of the National Nutritional Research Foundation writes, “Consuming more protein and especially dairy products raises blood levels of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), which have been associated with increased breast cancer risk in many studies. Higher fish consumption in women has also been linked to higher rates of breast cancer. Agricultural and industrial carcinogens, such as dioxins, accumulate in fatty tissues. Our primary mode of exposure to these dangerous chemicals is from meat, poultry, fish, and dairy fat.”

5. Don’t eat deep fried foods

Steaming, boiling, baking and oil-free stir frying with a wok are the safest ways to cook our food. When we fry foods at high temperatures, this way of cooking produces cancer-producing compounds.

Senior Woman Resting After Exercises In Gym

6. Exercise at least 3 hours per week

An analysis of 73 different studies showed that women with high levels of physical activity reduced their risk of breast cancer by 25%. Maintaining a healthy body weight is also extremely important since around 20% of breast cancer cases is from obesity alone.

7. Get folate from whole plant foods

Folic acid that is found in multivitamins and prenatal vitamins has been linked with increased risk of breast cancer. But when you get folate from whole plant foods the risk goes down. Folic acid is synthetic (not found in nature), whereas folate as found in green leafy vegetables is natural and safe.

8. Do not drink alcohol

More than 50 studies have been conducted on the influence of alcohol on the risk for breast cancer. Even light drinking (1 or fewer drinks a day) is asso-ciated with increased risk. For example, the Nurses’ Health Study demonstrated that women who had 3 to 6 alcoholic drinks per week increased their breast cancer risk by 15% when compared to non-drinkers. In breast cancer survivors, drinking 3-4 alcoholic drinks per week increased the risk of getting cancer again by 34%.

9. Do not smoke

Cancer-producing chemicals have been identified in cigarette smoke. They are known to enter the bloodstream through the lungs. From there, they travel to the breast tissue, putting smokers at risk.

10. Limit your exposure to estrogens

Dairy products are the single largest source of dietary estrogen for humans. Excess estrogen raises the risk of cancer of the prostate, ovaries & breast. Estrogen in cow’s milk is perfect for producing weight gain in baby calves. But it doesn’t just cause calves to grow, it causes everything to grow—cancer cells included. On the other hand, a fiber rich whole plant food diet reduces circulating estrogen since fiber binds up the estrogen in the digestive tract and accelerates its removal from the body.