Breast Cancer – Reduce your risk

Looking at why breast cancer develops can empower you with actions you can take to reduce your risk. Although sometimes the cause of breast cancer isn’t clear, it’s evident lifestyle behaviours can significantly reduce the likelihood of breast cancer developing.

• Stop Free Radicals in their Tracks

When your cells produce energy, unstable molecules called free radicals are produced. Your body then calls on an arsenal of antioxidants, obtained from colourful plant foods, to neutralise them. Problems occur when demand for antioxidants outstrips supply.

Load at least half your plate with different coloured vegetables to maximise your antioxidant intake.

To add to the problem, many modern lifestyle factors such as stress, too little sleep and environmental pollutants all increase free radical production. Chronic stress also weakens your immune system, while irregular sleeping patterns are known to increase breast cancer risk. Set your alarm for the same time each day, even at weekends, make sure to have at least 7 hours sleep per night, and start each day with some de-stressing yoga or Tai Chi.

• Avoid Hormone Disrupting Chemicals

Chemicals called xenoestrogens can latch onto your body’s hormone receptors – they’re many times stronger than your own oestrogen so they’ll increase your oestrogen levels significantly. The environment is awash with these chemicals – they’re found in household cleaners, personal care products, plastics and even food and water.

Avoid xenoestrogens by switching to greener cleaning and personal care products, eating organic and avoiding plastic water bottles unless they’re labelled BPA free. Never store or heat food in plastic containers.

• The Danger of Belly Fat

Fat cells make oestrogen. This is especially true for fat stubbornly sitting around your belly – it lodges around your internal organs, too. The more fat cells you have, the higher your oestrogen levels will be.

• Nurture Your Liver

Eating plenty of delicious cruciferous veggies like cauliflower, broccoli and kale can help your liver detoxify unwanted oestrogen.

A strong link exists between alcohol consumption and breast cancer. Research has found drinking only 1-2 drinks per day is associated with a whopping 30-50% increased risk. This is likely to be due to alcohol’s effect on the way your liver deals with oestrogen.

• Love Your Gut

Your gut plays a major role in eliminating oestrogen once it’s done its job. So if your gut isn’t working well, you run the risk of absorbing oestrogen back into your bloodstream instead of excreting it as your liver intended. Vitally important for this process is the resident population of bacteria in your gut, known as your microbiome.

Nourish your microbiome by eating plenty of plant foods containing natural fibre and avoiding sugar. Ground flax seeds are a great way of increasing your fibre intake.