21. You can't get breast cancer if nobody in your family has it.
Unfortunately, this is not the case. It's true that women with a family history of breast cancer are more likely to develop it than women with no family history; for example, if your mother or sister had breast cancer prior to menopause, your risk increases by six times and by 10 times if your mother or sister had cancer in both breasts. Similarly, if your mother or sister carries the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene — considered to be genetic markers for breast cancer — your risk of breast cancer is markedly increased. However, many cases of breast cancer occur in women with no family history of the disease; in fact, 70 per cent of women diagnosed with breast cancer have no known risk factors. Other factors that appear to increase your risk of developing breast cancer include:
• being 50 years of age or older;
• a family history of cervical, uterine, colorectal or ovarian cancers;
• previous breast disorders, such as benign breast cysts;
• having a first pregnancy after 30 or never being pregnant;
• early menstruation and a later-than-average menopause (a longer exposure to estrogen increases the risk); and
• living in a developed country (experts suspect this is due to high-fat diets and perhaps environmental pollution).
Research continues on the effects of diet, obesity, alcohol, hormone replacement therapy, smoking and level of physical activity on your risk of developing breast cancer.
22. Beef will raise your blood cholesterol level higher than poultry or seafood.
Not necessarily. It isn't just how much cholesterol a particular food contains but also the kind of fat the food contains and how this fat affects blood cholesterol levels when eaten. For instance, saturated fat has more of an impact on boosting blood cholesterol levels than the actual cholesterol content of foods, so if the beef is lean and well trimmed, it could contain less cholesterol-boosting saturated fat than a chicken drumstick (dark meat)
with the skin on it. And some seafood, such as shrimp, may be high in cholesterol but may also contain heart-healthy polyunsaturated fat, which can help lower blood fats.
23. All fibre helps prevent heart disease.
There are two types of dietary fibre, and one of them is thought to promote heart health: it's called soluble dietary fibre and it can be found in oat products, such as oat bran and oatmeal; legumes, such as dried beans, peas and lentils; and pectin-rich fruits, such as apples, strawberries and citrus fruits. Soluble fibre seems to help stabilize blood sugar levels and lower blood cholesterol, especially when it is high. On the other hand, insoluble fibre, found in wheat bran and wheat bran cereals, whole grain foods, fruits and vegetables, hasn't been directly linked to boosting heart health by itself; however, it may help prevent certain cancers, including colon cancer.
24. All vegetable oils are heart healthy.
Some are, some aren't. Coconut, palm and palm kernel oils — often used in cookies, crackers and cakes — are sources of saturated fats, which can raise blood cholesterol levels and be detrimental to heart health. When vegetable oils are hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated (the kinds found in hard margarines, cookies, crackers and commercially baked products), they can raise blood cholesterol levels. Read the nutrition information on the label and look for "partially hydrogenated" to indicate the presence of unhealthy trans-fatty acids. Instead, choose extra-virgin olive, canola and peanut oils, which contain monounsaturated fats that can also help lower blood cholesterol. Similarly, safflower, sunflower and corn oils contain polyunsaturated fats, which can help lower blood cholesterol.
25. Eating after 8 p.m. causes weight gain.
It's probably wise to space your calories out throughout the day to coincide with your activity levels, but there's no magical moment weightwise that happens at eight o'clock at night. However, during the evening, you may be more apt to wind down in front of the TV, and if you sit eating high-calorie snacks like chips, you may pack on the pounds. Eating these snacks at night may be a sign that you haven't eaten enough during the day. If you eat several small and nutritionally balanced meals every three to four hours throughout the day, you won't get the munchies later on.
Experts consulted include Dr. Harold Dion, president of the Quebec College of Family Physicians; Dr. Anthony Graham, spokesperson for the Heart and Stroke Foundation and director of ambulatory care at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto; Dr. Robert Reid, a professor in the department of obstetrics and gynecology at Queens University in Kingston, Ont.; Rosie Schwartz, a nutritionist and registered dietitian; Dr. Joey Shulman, a nutritionist; and Dr. Barbara Whylie, executive director of the Canadian Cancer Society.
