Breast Health
It’s October, and all of this pink reminds us of breast health. As a Functional Nutritionist, I want to awareness the prevention of breast cancer, then just focus on early detection, that includes:
Getting to know your body and your breasts
Regular breast exams from your physician
Screen modalities such as mammography
What does conscious breast cancer prevention look like for you?
In addition to the importance of early detection, research studies show there are many things we can do to decrease our risk of getting cancer in the first place.
Mammography is detection, not prevention, so it only helps us identify a problem once it exists. We don’t currently have a better screening method, though, and research supports getting mammograms every other year between the ages of 50 and 74. Prior to 50, women should talk to their doctor to decide when the best time to start would be, based on family history, breast exams, age, and other personal risk factors.
The important thing to do for the prevention of cancer is to create a healthy environment in the body so that cancer is less likely to develop and grow.
The truest form of prevention comes in your lifestyle and dietary choices. One aspect of this is getting good exercise for at least 30-40 minutes a day. In general, woman who are physically active have a lower risk than those who are not. Balancing blood sugar is also very important, because spikes in insulin and glucose feed cancer cells. This means limiting refined sugar and carbohydrates and eating lots of colorful vegetables with phytonutrients, plant compounds that have cancer fighting properties. I always suggest eat from the rainbow every day; try to get 9-12 different sources of phytonutrients in your diet regularly to support and protect your body. Stress reduction is also a part of cancer prevention, as a chronic elevation in stress hormones has been found to weaken the immune system and put the body at risk. Caring for your gut bacteria is another essential piece, eating lots of fiber and fermented foods will help support your microbiome.
Through conscious lifestyle choices, you can reduce your risk for breast cancer, while reducing your risk for other chronic diseases as well.
Though there’s clearly more to learn, we are able to recognize certain contributing factors and identify certain groups with higher likelihoods of breast cancer. For one, we can see that the risk of breast cancer increases with age, due to an increased amount of circulating estrogen that accumulates throughout life. For that same reason, women who naturally have predominantly higher levels of estrogen, or have taken oral contraceptives or pharmaceutical hormone replacement for extended periods of time, also have an increased risk.
Fat cells can make estrogen (though prior to menopause the ovaries take the brunt of that task). So, it makes sense that there is a link between being overweight and having an increased risk for breast cancer, especially after menopause, as during that time in life fat becomes the primary source of estrogen production in the body. Being overweight also increases the risk of recurrence, for those that are in remission.
Body composition plays a role here, too, as those with fat around the belly have a higher risk than those who carry fat around the hips and thighs. For those who are overweight, lowering body fat percentage is an important part of reducing their risk of breast cancer and staying healthy.
Another risk factor for breast cancer is frequent antibiotic use. We’re continuously learning more and more about the role of the gut microbiome (good bacteria) in the immune system, and studies have found (1) links between antibiotic use and increased incidence of breast cancer. While more research is needed, this could be due to the fact that antibiotics can reduce the capacity of microflora to metabolize phytochemicals into cancer protective compounds within the gut, as well as disrupting the normal digestive metabolism of estrogens.
Every woman should look at prevention as the first step to breast health. We should be starting with breast awareness in young adulthood, and focusing on staying healthy to avoid disease rather than regaining health after disease is already detected.
Screening for cancer is not the same thing as preventing cancer. Many of us go for our annual mammograms and colonoscopies, thinking that we are being proactive and preventing cancer. Although these screening exams and tests can be helpful for early detection, a healthy lifestyle is way more important for true prevention.
10 tips to help you keep your breasts healthy!
MAINTAIN A HEALTHY WEIGHT: This is the best-studied, most agreed-upon step we can take to decrease our risk of many cancers. The following steps can help prevent unhealthy weight gain.
Balance the hormones: starting with insulin. Insulin helps keep blood sugar in balance, and when insulin doesn’t work properly, the risk for many diseases — including breast cancer — increases. (Countless studies show that if we become more resistant to our insulin, then insulin levels increase, and the risk of breast cancer increases, as well. High levels of insulin circulating in the body also cause weight gain around the belly, and cause other things to grow including breast cancer.) Balancing blood sugar: because spikes in insulin and glucose feed cancer cells. This means limiting refined sugar and carbohydrates and eating lots of colorful vegetables with phytonutrients, plant compounds that have cancer fighting properties. I always suggest eat from the rainbow every day; try to get 8-10 different sources of phytonutrients in your diet regularly to support and protect your body. Estrogen is another hormone that needs balancing. Breast cancer often grows in times of high estrogen. Because of this, we need to support the body in detoxifying and eliminating estrogen after it does its job. Certain foods are very helpful for estrogen metabolism: cruciferous vegetables should be the focus. Additionally, ground flax seed, fish oil, and a diet rich in fiber all help keep your estrogen in better balance.
Stress reduction is also a part of cancer prevention, as a chronic elevation in stress hormones has been found to weaken the immune system and put the body at risk.
Get a good night’s sleep. Sleeping 7-9hr helps with weight control, insulin sensitivity, and supports the immune system. All of this is important for preventing cancer.
CHOOSE WHOLE FOODS: Eat 8 to 10 ½-cup servings of vegetables and fruit per day. Organic produce is lower in pesticides, some of which can mimic estrogen in the body. Whole foods are nutrient dense, providing vitamins, minerals and other phytonutrients that promote health. When we choose non-processed foods, prevent insulin resistance. Insulin is a very important hormone in our bodies that regulates our blood sugar level. We want this insulin to remain sensitive to signals in our bodies, such as when our blood sugar increases. To help prevent insulin resistance, be sure to avoid a diet that is high in processed foods and sugar. When planning your meals: think in Phytonutrients - strengthen the immune system and help stop cancer-cell growth. Eat a rainbow of fruits and vegetables every day. In other words, eat a vegetable or fruit from every color of the rainbow each day. Did you have your red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, and white/tan foods today?
Balance your gut bacteria: eating fiber and fermented foods will help support your microbiome. A good goal is to increase fiber intake to 35-45 grams of fiber per day. High-fiber foods include vegetables, fruits, beans, nuts and seeds and whole grains such as brown rice, quinoa and buckwheat etc. Fiber slows the digestion of food and prevents a spike in insulin after you eat. This also helps maintain insulin sensitivity.
HAVE PROTEIN AT EVERY MEAL or SNACK OF THE DAY: Good protein sources include fish, lean poultry/ meats, beans, nuts, eggs, and whole or fermented soy foods. Make sure to include a few vegetarian options in your daily protein intake. Protein helps prevent blood-sugar spikes, decreasing food cravings and maintaining insulin sensitivity.
EXERCISE 3 TO 5 HOURS EVERY WEEK: Aim for 45 minutes, 5 times per week. This keeps your insulin working well, and helps you maintain a healthy percentage of body fat.
Limit your alcohol intake to no more than 1 drink per day and 5 per week. Less is better. Remember 1 drink is 150ml of wine, 44ml of hard alcohol, or 350ml of beer.
Avoid excess toxic exposure in the following ways:
Read labels on all products, avoid pesticides, herbicides, BPA, parabens, and phthalates
Choose organic products for lawn and garden
Avoid dry cleaning
Instead of plastic bottles (especially #7 that has BPA), get yourself a reusable stainless-steel or glass water bottle, and store food in glass containers
Limit intake of medications like Tylenol that are extra work for your liver to process
Look for body-care products free of parabens and phthalates
