The Truth About Breast Cancer: Prevention is Just As Important As the Cure

While we search for the cure for breast cancer, we must not forget about prevention. The hard truth is that 90-95% of breast cancer is preventable. And only 5-10% has been attributed to genetics.

But how do we prevent it?

By understanding that breast cancer, like diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and even Alzheimer’s Disease, is for most people a lifestyle driven disease.

The most important things you can do to prevent breast cancer are the following:

1. Maintain a healthy weight, and a BMI, or body mass index <25. Obesity is associated with higher rates of breast cancer. Adipose tissue, which is fat tissue, is metabolically and hormonally active and produces estrogens, which increases cancer risk.
2. Exercise regularly. Activity lowers inflammatory chemicals in the body that promote cancer such as IGF-1.
3. Eat cancer preventing foods, such as: 
   • Carotenoids like, lycopene, found in red fruits such as tomatoes
   • Resveratrol, found in grapes and berries
   • Quercetin, an anti-oxidant, found in citrus fruits, broccoli and leafy greens
   • Sulforanes, an essential nutrient for breaking down estrogens, found in cruciferous vegetables like broccoli and Brussels sprouts.
4. Support detoxification. Poop every day, sweat at least 4-5x per week, and make sure you are methylating well by taking MTHF, a type of pre-methylated folate, an essential nutrient for those who genetically do not methylate well.
5. Avoid toxins in your personal care and cleaning products, many of which are hormone-disruptors. Turn to the Environmental Working Group’s app Skin Deep to find researched clean products.
6. Lower stress. Stress is inflammatory. The health risks of divorce, for instance, are as grave as those of smoking tobacco. Learn to meditate – which will be the subject of November’s webinar, and which is one of the most powerful stress reduction tools.
7. Avoid excess alcohol and quit smoking. These substances are each directly linked to breast cancer risk.

Overall, while early detection, and better research on drugs and procedures to cure breast cancer are all important, the number one thing you can do for your breast cancer risk today is to live an anti-cancer lifestyle.