| Rather than focusing on breast cancer, Wise | | | | food affected breast cancer risk. The diets of |
| Women choose to concentrate on keeping our | | | | 61,000 Swedish women between the ages of |
| breasts healthy through wise lifestyle and dietary | | | | 40-76 were followed for four years. The results? |
| choices.The following tips may amaze you, since | | | | For every 5 grams (about a teaspoonful) of |
| the actions and foods they suggest run counter | | | | vegetable oil consumed per day, breast cancer |
| to many alternative views of cancer prevention. | | | | risk increased by 70%. In contrast, for each 10 |
| They are supported with strong research, | | | | grams of fat from meat and dairy products in |
| however - from the lab, with animals, and in | | | | the daily diet, breast cancer risk was decreased |
| long-term human studies. Thus, each of these tips | | | | by 55%.Another study, begun in the early 1970s, |
| has a solid scientific basis, unlike the assertions | | | | followed 4,000 Finnish women's diets for 25 years. |
| made by those intent on selling you their opinions | | | | Results recently released found that those who |
| and products.Embarking on even one of these | | | | "drank the most milk had only half the breast |
| suggestions will definitely lower your risk of breast | | | | cancer risk of those who drank the |
| cancer. Using them all is even better. And as a | | | | least."American researchers agree. According to a |
| special treat, I have added three extras. Look for | | | | report in International Journal of Cancer (2001), |
| lots more tips for keeping your breasts healthy in | | | | women who drank milk as children and continued |
| my book Breast Cancer? Breast Health! The Wise | | | | drinking it as adults had half the rate of breast |
| Woman Way, recommended by many oncologists | | | | cancer of non-milk drinkers. (Yes, I do buy organic |
| and breast health specialists including Dr. Susan | | | | milk, but the studies used regular supermarket |
| Love. And please visit my special breast health | | | | milk.)Why? Galactose, the primary sugar in milk, |
| website: Be more activeEvidence continues to | | | | slows ovarian production of estradiol, a |
| accumulate that a vigorous lifestyle is one of the | | | | cancer-promoting hormone. Additionally, milk is rich |
| best ways to cut breast cancer risk. A study of | | | | in CLA (conjugated linoleic acid), a fat known to |
| 20,624 Norwegian women found those who | | | | suppress breast tumors in animals.For breast |
| exercised or worked out regularly cut their breast | | | | health I use yogurt, cheese, milk, butter, and olive |
| cancer risk by 72%. (NEJM, 5/1/1997)For breast | | | | oil daily, and eat meat occasionally.Remember that |
| health I walk every day, take a weekly yoga | | | | olive oil is pressed from a fruit, not a seed. |
| class, and do tai chi twice a week.2. Eat more | | | | Women whose diets are high in olive oil, and who |
| unrefined seed foodsAll seeds provide | | | | eat meat and dairy products regularly, have the |
| phytoestrogens. Women who eat the most | | | | lowest rates of breast cancer in the world. |
| phytoestrogenic foods are four times less likely to | | | | (Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 1/18 |
| be diagnosed with breast cancer than those who | | | | 1995)4. Eat less tofu and soy beverage; eat more |
| eat the least. "No study has shown a degree of | | | | miso and tamariWhile it is true that if you begin |
| risk reduction similar to that found for | | | | eating soy foods as a child and continue |
| phytoestrogens ..." (Lancet, 10/4/1997)Whole | | | | throughout puberty the breast tissues you create |
| grains such as wheat, rice, corn, kasha, millet, and | | | | during your adolescence will be highly resistant to |
| quinoa are unrefined seed foods. Beans such as | | | | cancer until after menopause. However, if you |
| lentils, black beans, pinto beans, lima beans, and | | | | begin eating unfermented soy (tofu, soy milk, and |
| chickpeas are unrefined seed foods. Nuts including | | | | the like) after puberty, your risk of breast cancer |
| peanuts, walnuts, almonds, and pecans are | | | | increases. (Science News, 4/24/1999)The active |
| unrefined seed foods. And edible seeds such as | | | | ingredient in soy - isoflavone - when given to |
| sesame, sunflower, and pumpkin are unrefined | | | | breast cancer cells in petri dishes causes them to |
| seed foods. Fruits and vegetables that are eaten | | | | grow rapidly. (Extracts of dong quai and licorice |
| with their seeds - such as strawberries, | | | | have a similar effect.)Miso and tamari - fermented |
| blueberries, raspberries, kiwi fruit, summer squash, | | | | soy foods - are the exceptions. Both are strongly |
| tomatoes, and cucumbers - count as unrefined | | | | cancer preventative, no matter when you start |
| seed foods. Even seeds used as seasonings | | | | eating them. Animal studies have found both miso |
| count, such as cumin, coriander, caraway, anise, | | | | and tamari highly effective in preventing cancer, |
| and dill seeds.For breast health, I have replaced all | | | | even in mice genetically programmed to get |
| refined carbohydrates - including white rice and | | | | breast cancer. And the more you eat, the more |
| white/unbleached flour products such as pasta, | | | | you lower your risk of cancer.For breast health, I |
| bread, cookies, crackers, pretzels, bagels, donuts, | | | | use miso and/or tamari every day. I occasionally |
| and cakes - with whole grain products.3. Eat less | | | | eat tofu or edemame. I drink no soy milk, and |
| vegetable oil; increase animal fat, especially from | | | | eat no other soy products of any kind.5. Eat |
| dairy products"Diets high in corn oil leave animals | | | | foods rich in antioxidants; avoid supplements of |
| especially vulnerable to chemically induced cancers" | | | | vitamins C and EA diet that contains plenty of |
| say researchers. (Science News, 6/24/89; 10/2 | | | | foods rich in antioxidants definitely lowers breast |
| 99) Frightening as this statement is, it is not true | | | | cancer risk. But supplements seem to do the |
| only of corn oil but of all vegetable (or seed) oils | | | | opposite.Doctors in Stockholm observed that, |
| including those made from soy, sesame, | | | | among breast cancer patients, treatment failures |
| sunflower, cottonseed, flax, and hemp.If you are | | | | were higher for women taking vitamin E |
| dubious about eating more animal fat and dairy | | | | supplements - and the failure rate increased with |
| products to reduce breast cancer risk, consider | | | | dose. Studying this effect, researchers found that |
| this landmark study reported in the Archives of | | | | the anti-cancer benefits of fish oils "disappeared |
| Internal Medicine (1/12/1998). To determine if | | | | when [we] gave ... |