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Breast cancer is one of the most feared diagnoses. Even mentioning it evokes images of death, misfortune and suffering.
According to the latest statistics, one in eight women will be affected by this disease during her lifetime. With such an unfavorable statistic, the question arises what a woman can do to reduce her risk of breast cancer.
In fact, there are several very effective ways to reduce the chances of it. And not just slightly, but even by up to 90%! The remaining 10% is unfortunately purely a matter of genetics and cannot be influenced.
In our article today we look at 10 things which, if you do them, will reduce your risk of breast cancer up to ninefold. So let’s get to it.
1. Avoid sugar, especially fructose
Limit consumption of mainly processed foods that are rich in simple sugars such as sucrose or fructose, because these substances directly support tumor growth.
Fructose, which is found in many sweetened drinks but also in fruit, is particularly harmful to the liver.
The general rule is that you should not consume more than 25 grams of fructose per day.
If you already suffer from cancer or diabetes, limit its intake to a maximum of 15 grams per day, and only in the form of fresh fruit, never from processed foods.
2. Limit protein intake and increase healthy fats
Consume as many grams of protein daily as you weigh in kilograms. So, if you weigh 60 kg, consume 60 grams of protein per day.
Very few people need more than 100 grams of protein per day; these are usually performance athletes or bodybuilders who want to gain muscle mass.
Instead of protein, start consuming quality fats, which you can find for example in eggs, quality unprocessed meat, fish, avocado or coconut oil.
It is even reported that the ketogenic diet (high in fats and low in carbohydrates) can stop tumor growth.
3. Ensure adequate important vitamins A and D
There is evidence that vitamin A plays an important role in cancer prevention. It is best obtained from vitamin-rich foods. From animal sources these are mainly fish oil, liver, egg yolks or quality organic butter.
From plants, colorful vegetables are rich in vitamin A — mainly yellow, orange and red (carrots, peppers and similar).
However, try to maintain a moderate intake of vitamin A, not excessive, otherwise it will negate the benefits of vitamin D. There should be a proper balance between vitamin A and vitamin D in the body.
Vitamin D is among the strongest anti-cancer substances in nature. It works by entering a cancer cell and inducing its apoptosis (programmed death).
It appears that up to 90% of women with breast cancer are deficient in this vitamin.
Research further confirmed up to double the chance of survival for breast cancer patients with adequate vitamin D levels in the blood. The recommended level is 30 ng / liter; some experts recommend up to 80 ng / liter during cancer treatment.
Vitamin D works synergistically with other anti-cancer therapies and has no side effects.
4. Have sufficient iodine
Iodine is an element essential for the synthesis of many hormones, mainly thyroid hormones. Its deficiency causes many diseases, including breast cancer.
The reason is that breast tissue absorbs a lot of iodine, which it needs for its proper function. Low iodine levels in any tissue lead to dysfunctions and tumors are one of those dysfunctions.
Recommendations regarding dosing vary.
Conservative approaches recommend up to 800 micrograms of iodine per day; others go even higher, but doses of 12 to 13 milligrams per day can already have negative side effects.
5. Take care of your gut
Optimizing the intestinal microflora minimizes the amount of inflammation in the body and improves the immune response. It is said that up to 80% of immunity resides in your gut.
Research has discovered microorganism-dependent mechanisms that cancer cells use to induce inflammatory processes which then feed their development and growth.
Therefore add foods rich in beneficial bacteria to your diet — sauerkraut, plain yogurts, kombucha, kefir and the like.
6. Avoid genetically modified foods
Genetically modified crops are often treated with aggressive pesticides and herbicides like glyphosate (Roundup), which have been shown to be carcinogenic.
A French team of scientists recently extensively studied the toxic and carcinogenic effects of glyphosate on human cells. Therefore choose fresh, organic and preferably locally grown produce.
7. Avoid roasted and grilled meats
It has been shown that excessive heat treatment of meat creates the dangerous substance acrylamide, which has proven carcinogenic effects, especially on breast cancer.
Therefore, instead of grilling, roasting or frying meat, rather cook it normally or stew it.
8. Consume foods with proven anti-cancer effects
Drink fresh vegetable juices daily. Eat anti-cancer vegetables such as carrots, cabbage or broccoli.
Herbs and spices with anti-cancer effects are also very beneficial — ginger, garlic, turmeric with pepper, thyme, basil, watercress, horseradish, onion.
It is best to eat these foods dried (for spices), respectively raw and not boiled, when they contain the maximum of beneficial substances.
A change is requested here regarding soy. Unlike the position of many misguided proponents of healthy eating, soy is harmful to the body, mainly because of its high content of estrogen-like substances. Estrogens support the growth of breast cancer.
If soy, then only fermented in the form of tofu. But be careful, because not all tofu sold here is truly fermented.
9. Avoid alcohol
Limit alcohol to a maximum of 1 standard drink per day. This means 1 small beer or 1.5 dl of wine. Hard liquor should preferably be avoided completely.
Alcohol excessively burdens the liver and additionally is converted in the body into toxic substances that the liver must break down. Until then, however, they can do a lot of damage.
Alcohol is also very energy-dense and significantly contributes to weight gain and overweight. Overweight is one of the main risk factors for breast cancer.
10. Avoid certain toxins
Among the most dangerous toxins to avoid are the following:
- brominated flame retardants (mainly in carpets)
- aromatic amines (polyurethane, paints, pesticides)
- aluminum salts (mainly antiperspirants, but also many vaccines)
- benzene (tobacco smoke, nail polish remover, paints, gasoline)
- halogenated organic solvents (dry cleaning, hair sprays, nail polish removers)
- ethylene and ethylene oxide (sterilization of medical instruments, sterilization of food and spices, clothing, tobacco smoke)
- heterocyclic amines (high-heat meat cooking, tobacco smoke)
- PFOA (nonstick pan surfaces, furniture, cosmetics, lubricants, paints, glues)
- mycotoxin (moldy foods — most often peanuts, pistachios and other nuts)
- styrene (food after contact with polystyrene, cosmetics, building materials, carpets, glues)
Conclusion
Also remember to follow general principles such as getting enough sleep for recovery and body regeneration. During the day reduce and manage stress.
Also limit wearing a bra to only when necessary. Never wear it at night. It is also good to avoid unnecessary radiation from mobile phones, Wi‑Fi, mammography, CT scans and X-rays.
Follow these principles and you will hardly have to worry about breast cancer any more.
