Nutrition and Breast Cancer Risk Update for Breast Cancer Awareness Month!

I can’t believe that it’s been a month since my last article. Time flies when it’s GYN Cancer Awareness Month (September) and Breast Cancer Awareness Month (October)! At least in my world, these months seem to keep me very busy! I have been honored to host Cancer Services’ celebrations of survivorship for both of these months. Such inspiring groups of women!

Last time, I talked some about the new study out regarding organic foods. I was reading last night the current issue of Nutrition Action Healthletter, the newsletter from the Center for Science in the Public Interest, The current issue has a great article about the organic food debate and I would highly recommend reading it. [Side note: this is a WONDERFUL subscription for anyone interested in health. It’s the largest circulation health and nutrition newsletter in North America and has NO ads! Great gift idea!]

Today I will do a brief update on breast cancer and how nutrition impacts risk.  This is great information and I think many aren’t aware of the facts and how much they can influence their own risk. My information comes from the American Institute for Cancer Research. For more on breast cancer and reducing your risk, read their article here. It’s well worth your time!

Nutrition and Breast Cancer Risk

Here are some things you need to know about breast cancer:

• 1 in 8 women in the US will develop breast cancer in their lifetime.
• It is estimated that 38 percent of all breast cancer cases in the US could be prevented with simple, everyday changes to what we eat and how much we move.

That’s a big deal! 38% means that 1 of every 3 diagnoses could be prevented. Of course, we all want to be that one. There’s no guarantee, but here’s what you can do to put the odds in your favor:

Alcohol: Drinking alcohol – in any form – raises breast cancer risk. Women should drink no more than one drink a day. Personally, I don’t drink that much. And no – you can’t save your drinks up for the weekend!

Weight: Carrying excess body fat increases risk for post-menopausal breast cancer. I prefer to focus mostly on behaviors, and not weight. However, the evidence cannot be ignored that there is a link with excess body fat. So yes, eating the right foods is important. It’s also important to balance calories in with calories out (through physical activity).

Inactivity: A sedentary lifestyle makes post-menopausal breast cancer more likely. Be active everyday for at least 30 minutes!

Breastfeeding: If you give birth, breastfeeding your baby lowers your risk of both pre- and post-menopausal breast cancers. Encourage those around you to breastfeed!

In the next article, I’ll share with you what I give out for a “Breast Cancer Prevention Diet Checklist”. It’s a very practical list on foods to include in your diet. For some reason, everyone likes checklists!

Join Me by Twitter This Wednesday!

I wanted to make you aware of a great way that you can support Cancer Services in spreading the word about prevention and healthy survivorship and get your questions answered!

First, on Wednesday, Oct 17th at 7pm – 8pm, I will be co-hosting a Twitter chat with celebrity chef Chuck White (Sheryl Crow’s chef!). Check out more details here!

What is a twitter chat, you ask? It’s an hour that you can participate in a particular conversation with experts. Driscoll’s Berries is sponsoring it and the topic is Berries and Cancer Prevention. If you would like to participate, be sure that you are on Twitter at that time, and put #NBCAM in your search. If you would like to ask questions or participate, be sure your tweets include #NBCAM somewhere in the text.

If you want, follow me on Twitter (@CancerDietitian) for other updates and conversations throughout the week.

Recipes to Try

Except for pumpkin pie, I love pumpkin everything. I know – it’s weird. I’ve never liked the pie, but give me soup, bread, pancakes, muffins or anything else pumpkin and I love it!

– Julie