An easy approach to reducing your risk of breast cancer
October is breast cancer awareness month, so there’s no better time to bring awareness to the cancer that affects 1 in 8 women in the United States. Just this year, Breastcancer.org states that there will be an estimated 268,600 new cases of invasive breast cancer diagnosed in women, and 2,670 new cases of invasive breast cancer diagnosed in men. Breast cancer is often viewed as a cancer that only affects women, however, these figures show that it’s affecting the men in our country as well.
While breast cancer rates were dropping back in the year 2000, they have since increased. With that many new breast cancer diagnoses just this year, we need to bring awareness to this massive issue.
We’re shining some light on how a plant-based approach can reduce your risk of breast cancer, and some lifestyle tips you can implement right away.
A Plant-Based Approach to Reducing Your Risk of Breast Cancer
Adopting a plant-based diet is an excellent way to safeguard your health against various types of chronic disease, and breast cancer just happens to be one of them. According to The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a plant-based diet full of fruits, vegetables, beans, and whole grains can help lower your risk of breast cancer.
Supporting a healthy weight through the high-fiber content, a plant-based diet may be able to help reduce your estrogen levels. PCRM states that lower estrogen levels can decrease your risk of cancer.
A plant-based diet rich in anti-inflammatory veggies, berries, nuts, and seeds is also a great way to reduce your total inflammatory load. We know that inflammation is at the root of various types of chronic diseases, and an increase in C-reactive protein (a protein that measures how much inflammation you have in your body), puts you at an increased risk of breast cancer.
This is why it only makes sense that an anti-inflammatory plant-based diet would reduce your inflammatory levels, and thus reduce your risk of breast cancer.
Other Steps to Reducing Your Risk of Breast Cancer
In addition to following a nutritious plant-based diet, there are some other steps you can take to help support overall health and reduce your breast cancer risk including:
- Try to Move Your Body Daily: Regular exercise is key to a healthy lifestyle, and exercise may be able to help strengthen the immune system and thus help the body fight off cancer cells. Consider running, cycling, and strength training as part of your regular fitness routine.
- Keep Your Weight in Check: As mentioned, one of the perks to a nutritious and high-fiber plant-based diet is its ability to help support a healthy weight. This is an important part of reducing your risk of breast cancer, as the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine states that excess weight increases your risk of breast cancer, especially after menopause. Why? Because fat cells produce estrogen, which can then promote cancer cell growth. Here’s just one more reason to make sure that we are keeping our weight within a healthy range by consuming a healthy plant-based diet and moving our bodies regularly.
- Avoid Alcohol: While the occasional glass of wine with girlfriends is unlikely to be an issue, alcohol in general can increase your risk of breast cancer. Alcohol can also increase estrogen levels, so limit alcohol intake as much as possible.
Take the Steps Necessary to Reduce Your Risk
Now that we are officially into October make it your goal to take actionable steps towards reducing your risk of breast cancer this month. If you don’t already follow a plant-based diet, consider giving Veestro a try to get you started off on the right foot. With done for you meals, enjoying a plant-based diet is easier than ever.
Amp up your exercise this month, and watch how many glasses of red wine you drink while catching up on your favorite shows. Even one glass per night can increase your risk, so swap that glass of red with some herbal tea to wind down the day instead.
With these simple lifestyle and dietary changes, you can safeguard your overall health all while reducing your risk of breast cancer one healthy choice at a time.
