A high-fiber, low-fat diet can help your body protect itself against breast cancer, as well as other types of cancer. Exercising and maintaining a healthy weight may reduce your risk for breast cancer.

Reducing Risk of Breast Cancer

The causes of breast cancer are not fully understood. Consequently, there are no sure ways to prevent breast cancer, but there are things you can do that may decrease your likelihood of developing it.

Diet

A healthy diet that is high in fiber and low in fat can help your body protect itself against breast cancer. To get enough fiber (20-30 grams daily), increase your consumption of fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Also eat a variety of fruits and vegetables to get the full range of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that can help protect you from cancer. Limit your intake of fats to less than 35% of your daily calories, with no more than 10% of daily calories coming from saturated fats, which are found in red meat and animal fat.

Weight

Numerous studies have linked excess weight to an increased risk of breast cancer, particularly if the extra weight is gained after menopause. Shed any extra pounds as soon as possible and keep them off.

Exercise

The Nurses' Health Study, a long-term study of more than 120,000 female nurses, found a correlation between exercise and breast cancer. Seven hours of moderate to vigorous exercise per week was shown to reduce risk.

Reconsider Combined Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)

A recent Women’s Health Initiative study (published in the Journal of the American Medical Association) revealed that using the drug Prempro for several years may slightly increase the risk of breast cancer (as well as heart disease, blood clots and strokes). If you’re taking hormone replacements, discuss your options with your doctor to determine the best course of action for your situation.

Aspirin

A study published in the Journal of American Medical Association in May 2004 found that women who took one aspirin per week were 20% less likely to develop breast cancer than women who didn’t. Women who took an aspirin daily had a 28% reduction in risk. Ibuprofen also seemed to reduce breast cancer risk, but not as much as aspirin. Be sure to talk to your doctor before taking aspirin or ibuprofen as a preventative measure. Long term use of either can cause serious problems.

Limit Alcohol Consumption

A large number of studies have shown link between alcohol consumption and breast cancer risk. One drink per day of any type of alcohol can have a negative impact. Either limit alcohol consumption to less than one drink per day, or don’t drink at all.

Tamoxifen Therapy

Tamoxifen is a drug that blocks the effects of estrogen and can prevent some types of breast cancer from growing. It is used in high risk women to reduce their chances of developing breast cancer and in women diagnosed with some forms of breast cancer.

Genetic Testing

Sometimes, breast cancer risk can run in families and may be due to a mutation in a specific gene called BRCA1 or BRCA2.  Families with BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutations also, unfortunately, have a high risk for ovarian cancer.  Risk factors for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer syndrome include any of the following  in a patient or their family:

Anyone with concerns about their personal and/or family history of cancer should consider seeing a genetic counselor at the Risk Assessment and Prevention Program at Invision Sally Jobe. By determining your personal risk, you can better alter your lifestyle to reduce it.

Screening Exams

While screening exams don’t reduce the risk of getting breast cancer, they reduce your risk of dying from it. Early detection is the best protection!

By regularly completing the screening exams in the Breast Exams section, you can detect breast cancer, or its precursors, early. When breast cancer is detected early, there are more treatment options and a higher likelihood that the treatment will be successful.