4. Eat more vegetables and fruit
There's growing evidence that eating vegetables and fruit lowers your risk of cancer in general, and, to a lesser extent, breast cancer in particular, says Fran Berkoff, a registered dietitian in Toronto.
At play here are plant chemicals, or phytochemicals. Some phytochemicals take up space on cells where the body's own estrogen would otherwise attach, thereby reducing exposure to the body's hormones. The Cancer Project, a program of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine in Washington, D.C., says such potent phytochemicals are found in cruciferous vegetables, including broccoli, cauliflower and brussels sprouts, as well as in fresh garlic and, in smaller amounts, in onions, chives and leeks. Other phytochemicals are thought to behave like antioxidants, protecting the body from molecules that damage DNA in cells and set the stage for cancerous changes. Berkoff says these phytochemicals are found in black and green teas, and some fruits and vegetables, such as apples, blueberries, citrus fruits and peppers.
Since you may need several of these different phytochemicals to lower your cancer risk, it's probably wise to eat a variety of fruit and vegetables every day, says Berkoff, adding, "We can't tell women how much they reduce their risk by eating the recommended daily intake but it can't hurt to eat healthy foods, and if it offsets your breast cancer risk even a little, you're just that much further ahead."
The Canadian Cancer Society recommends five to 10 servings of vegetables and fruit a day to help lower your cancer risk.
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5. Eat the right fats
Observational studies show that Asian women, who traditionally consume a diet relatively low in fat, have much lower rates of breast cancer than do Canadian women. Other research shows that the higher the dietary fat intake across a population of women, the higher their breast cancer rates. Still other studies that compared diets of women in the same country suggested that dietary fat increases breast cancer risk.
While not all studies have come to the same conclusion, there's now enough evidence supporting a possible association between dietary fat and breast cancer to justify a larger, controlled study to determine, once and for all, if the fat you eat affects your breast health, says Cary Greenberg from Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto. Greenberg is a coordinator for just such a study: the Diet and Breast Cancer Prevention Study will compare two groups of similar-risk women – one on a reduced-fat diet and the other maintaining their normal diet. (For details, visit www.uhnres.utoronto.ca/bccancer.)
But while some fats may increase breast cancer risks, other fats may be protective. Studies have concluded that omega-3 fatty acids, found in some fish, can prevent the development and spread of breast cancer in animals. In women, the role of omega-3 fatty acids in preventing breast cancer is an interesting area, but the research is still preliminary, says Berkoff.
There is good evidence that omega-3 fatty acids protect the heart, though. If eating fish, especially fatty fish, at least twice a week, as recommended by the American Heart Association, is good for the heart, it's probably good for overall health – including breast health.
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6. Carefully consider HRT
The combination of estrogen and progestin, another female hormone, in hormone replacement therapy (HRT) increases breast cancer risk, according to two large studies – the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) study in the U.S. and the Million Women Study in the United Kingdom. The WHI study uncovered eight more cases of breast cancer per 10,000 women taking combined HRT (estrogen plus progestin) an average of 5.2 years than among non-HRT users. (WHI women taking estrogen alone had no increased breast cancer risk.) According to the SOGC, HRT increases breast cancer risk by 2.3 per cent per year of HRT use.
Perhaps the good news is that the breast cancer risk among HRT users does not increase until four to five years after starting the therapy. As well, "the risk goes down as soon as you stop taking HRT," says Dr. Jennifer Blake, chief of obstetrics and gynecology at Sunnybrook and Women's College Health Sciences Centre in Toronto.
Page 3 of 4 – Learn six more things you can do to prevent breast cancer on page 4.
