Fitness Topics

Breast Cancer Prevention
(As appeared in the Fall/Winter, 2006 issue of Healthwise magazine.)

More and more American women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year. There are a number of risk factors for developing this disease, many (if not most) of which are controllable. Such risk factors are based on day-to-day choices. The best preventive approach is through exercise and proper nourishment; both also help with recovery.

Two principles essential for healthful, disease-free living are: the body is designed to be in motion; and, the body is designed to absorb specific healthful nutrients. When either of these two variables is abused, diseases, like breast cancer, become likelier.

Excess Body Fat – deadlier than you think

For many years, women were accused of being too obsessed with fat. Now, with the ever increasing numbers of overweight women, it’s apparent that many aren’t concerned enough. Excess fat tissue is a storage site for carcinogens (cancer-causing elements). Excess fat can also increase the amount of estrogen produced within the body, an added risk factor for breast cancer. This pertains not only to the obese, but to even those who gained “only a few pounds.”

For each extra pound of fat, there is an increased risk for carcinogen storage. A healthy body fat range for women is from 18% to 23%; the higher above this range, the more risk for breast cancer. The only healthy approaches to prevent or eliminate excess fat are through exercise and healthful eating.

Move

To burn fat, we must burn more calories than we consume. The more you move, the more you burn. There are many ways to be active. With the cooler weather upon us, playing sports, going for long walks and hiking are some basic examples. In addition to outdoor activities, there is the need for well-planned exercise routines, for both aerobic and strength conditioning.

Vigorous activity and exercise also help to maintain balanced hormones, further minimizing chances for cancer. An added bonus is that the immune system, our primary defense against diseases of all types, becomes reinforced.

Eat Right

“You are what you eat.” So, avoid junk – foods that are deep fried and are high in saturated fats, and/or sugars. Such foods are high in calories, but contain few, if any, nutrients. Some examples include fast foods, hot dogs, cakes, ice cream and, yes, even the fancy coffees (also loaded with saturated fats and sugars). Dairy, in particular, is potentially risky for breast cancer (learn more at www.milksucks.com). If you must “treat” yourself, then do so in moderation – one to two times per week, at most (not every 3 hours). Eating ice cream and drinking a fancy coffee counts as two treats/cheats.

For each dessert that you “reward” yourself with, be prepared to treat your body to extra activity. Doing the recommended activities is not a free pass to indulging in junk foods. Physical activities help you live a longer, healthier life. For each dessert, it would take an additional 20 to 40 minutes of brisk exercising, depending on intensity level, to avoid sabotaging your efforts.

Follow a diet that is heavily based on fibrous foods (vegetables, whole grains, and fruits) – preferably organic – and low on saturated fats (meats, poultry and, especially, dairy) and simple sugars (cakes, ice cream, candy, etc.). Be mindful that frozen yogurt, with its high-sugar content, qualifies as a dessert. If you choose to eat it, do so as a replacement for dessert, not real food.

Conclusion

The body is truly intelligent. When it is given what it was designed for, everything else falls into place. Through proper nutrition and regular physical activity, breast cancer risk becomes minimized.

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