I am volunteering in the health tent for the next 3 days at the San Francisco Breast Cancer Susan G Komen 60 mile walk for the cure. I felt it was fitting to cover a few easy tips to cut your risk. These walkers, mostly women but not all, are amazing. They walk 20 miles a day for 3 days; it’s an amazing athletic feat and often an emotional journey for those walkers who have personally been affected by breast cancer.
Most of us have been affected by breast cancer therefore there should always be a focus on ways to reduce the risk.
The largest ever review of the research by the American Institute for Cancer Research/World Cancer Research Fund (AICR/WCRF) project looked at the evidence on the links between breast cancer and diet, body weight and physical activity.
Key Points:
- be as lean as possible without becoming underweight, because of the link between excess body fat and cancer.
- 30 minutes of physical activity every day (at a minimum).
- limit consumption to two drinks a day for a man and one for a woman, if you drink at all.
- mothers should breastfeed exclusively for up to six months and then add other liquids and foods. Evidence is convincing that mothers who breastfeed reduce their risk for breast cancer. There is also probable evidence that children who are breastfed have a lower risk of gaining excess weight as they grow.
In an interview with the NYT, one of the authors stated “to reduce the risk of cancer generally, diets should be mostly plant-based, emphasizing fruits, vegetables, beans and whole grains and limiting red meat”.
I like these holistic tips because they help your whole body and don’t just target one specific type of cancer.