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Four Steps to Reducing Breast Cancer Risk

Updated: Nov 4, 2022

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. A healthy diet and lifestyle can help lower your risk for developing breast cancer. These four steps can also benefit your health in other ways too. The following information is from the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine.


Choose Plant-Based Foods

Eating more fruits, vegetables, beans and whole grains can lower your risk in several ways. They are high in fiber which help you feel full and can aid in weight loss. Fiber also helps lower your estrogen levels which reduces your cancer risk. Eating less fat and more plants can also protect breast cancer survivors too.


  • Fill up on veggies like broccoli, kale and cabbage which are packed with cancer fighting nutrients.

  • Eat more soy. Studies have shown that people who eat soy have a lower risk of developing breast cancer. Soy may help protect women who have already had breast cancer too.

  • Avoid processed meats which have been linked to breast cancer.


Exercise Regularly

Being active lowers your risk of breast cancer. It can help with weight loss, boost your immune system and make it harder for tumors to grow. Walking is a great way to start exercising if you aren’t active already. Having an exercise buddy can help you get out and get moving. Try starting with three days per week and work up to 30-40 minutes per day.


Limit Alcohol

Drinking alcohol can raise your risk of breast cancer. It can increase estrogen levels and cause DNA damage which is the first step in cancer.


Maintain a Healthy Weight

Excess body weight increases your risk of breast cancer after menopause because it can make existing cancer more likely to grow. Fat cells make excess estrogen that can help some breast cancer cells form and spread.


Go to letsbeatbreastcancer.org for more information and take the challenge.

Learn more about plant-based eating by signing up for a free Food For Life Class at eat4healthllc.com.

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