Prevention is the best medicine

Recently we heard some great news regarding a decline in the rate of breast cancer. While this is indeed wonderful news, women still have serious concerns about this scary and disturbing disease. What are some of the ways women can prevent breast cancer and what should a woman do if she discovers a lump in her breast?”

Keely and Jamie, the recent news you mentioned is based on the observation in 2003 when, for the first time in 20 years, we saw a significant decline for breast cancer! Truly great news! This decline coincides with large numbers of women stopping their hormone replacement therapy as a result of a landmark study published the prior year implicating HRT as a cause of breast cancer.

No question about it; prevention though is always the best option, and the two best preventative steps any woman can take besides being born into the correct genetic family is to 1) keep their body fat percentage as low as possible (and within reason!!) and 2) focus their diet on foods which contain high levels of anti-oxidants, anti-inflammatories and fiber.

All three of these food nutrients have been shown to lower the risk of breast cancer. Anti-oxidants keep the tissue healthy and help prevent the development of renegade cell growth.

Inflammation at the microscopic level has been shown to cause destruction of healthy cells which then allow for the renegade cells to take hold. Foods rich in omega-3 fatty oils along with many, but not all, colorful vegetables have anti-inflammatory properties and can help prevent this damage.

Fiber most likely lowers risk by lowering the body’s overall fat content. Prevention studies suggest a whooping 30 grams of fiber per day – something which is also suggested in many other cancer prevention strategies.

Additionally, much of the breast tissue consists of fat, which tends to be a deposit for environmental toxins. Eating organically grown foods whenever possible minimizes this damaging impact on healthy breast tissue. Avoiding the toxic effects of tobacco is likewise very important.

Now back to exercise for a moment. We feel the main reason exercise promotes healthy breasts is due to its ability to decrease the percentage of body fat. Body fat is a natural source of estrogen, for both females and males so with excess body fat comes excess estrogen which again, is implicated in the development of breast cancer. In fact, we think one of the reasons for increasing breast cancer rates, at least until recently, is the so called “fattening” of America.

Ok, so we try to prevent, but what to do if a breast lump, or something unusual is noticed during self breast exam? The simple answer is: don’t ignore it!! As scary as it may be, the reason one does self exams is to detect something early, and far more often than not, at least 4 out of 5 times, the problem is benign.

I’m often astonished how long it can take some people before consulting their healthcare provider about their findings. Facing the concern immediately and having the breast evaluated with the appropriate and up-to-date imaging studies will give the best outcomes, and should it turn out to be a cancerous lesion, in today’s world the chances for wonderful outcomes in early detection are exciting. I commend those women who check themselves regularly and take prevention into their own hands! Here’s to your good health and see you next week.