The Role of Nutrition and Breast Cancer Prevention

October begins Breast Cancer Awareness Month—a time to honor survivors, support those in treatment, and shine a light on ways we can all reduce our risk. Breast cancer is the second most common type of cancer to affect women within the United States. Approximately 1 in 3 women receive the heart wrenching diagnosis each year.¹ While genetics and family history largely determine the development of breast cancer, it is not the only determining factor for developing the disease.

Although there is no single food or supplement that can 100% prevent cancer, research shows that the choices we make every day can play an important role in supporting overall health and lowering the likelihood of certain diseases, including breast cancer.

The choices we make each day translate into habits that become a part of our daily routine and can often make or break our health outcomes.  Things like diet, physical activity level, stress management, and weight are modifiable risk factors. They are called modifiable risk factors because we can change them should we choose. In this post, we’ll explore evidence-based strategies, surrounding our diet from key nutrients to practical suggestions that can help to protect your health.

Include Plenty of Plant-based Foods

It should come as no surprise that plant-based foods have a variety of nutrients that help to promote overall health and wellness. Plant-based foods such as fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains tout a plethora of health benefits. These foods are rich in dietary fiber, vitamins and minerals, and in some cases even contain cancer fighting compounds such as antioxidants and phytochemicals.

Antioxidants are chemical compounds that neutralize free radicals and their damaging effect on our cells. Think of it like taking out the trash for trash day, the trash sits at the curb waiting to be picked up by the trash man to be carried away and disposed of elsewhere. Antioxidants act just like the trash man by removing the free radicals away from our body. Below are just some examples of foods rich in antioxidants to make sure to include in your diet.

Helpful Tip: The easiest way to make sure you are eating enough antioxidants and phytochemicals is by eating the rainbow! Try to vary the colors present on your plate, each color represents a different antioxidant! Just remember, the rule of thumb is half of your plate should be made up of vegetables/fruit.

Foods rich in antioxidants:

·         Berries (Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries)

·         Citrus (orange, lemon, lime, grapefruit)

·         Cruciferous veggies (Cabbage, broccoli, kale)

·         Bell peppers

·         Carrots

·         Sweet potato

·         Kiwi fruit

·         Green tea

·         Ginger

·         Coffee

·         Ginger

·         Turmeric

You can find a list of the different types of antioxidants along with their food sources here

Include Heart Healthy Fats

Not all fat is made equally; in fact, there are certain types of fats we want to include more than others. The ideal type of fat we want to consume is unsaturated fat. Unsaturated fats come in 2 forms, omega-3’s and omega-6’s. While both are considered healthy choices, we want to focus more on omega-3’s as they have been shown to reduce inflammation. The most easily absorbed and utilized type of omega-3’s are EPA and DHA which are found in marine animal sources. EPA and DHA are both considered essential fatty acids since they cannot be made on their own by the body and must be obtained through our diet. Some other forms of omega-3 fatty acids are found in plant-based sources, but they are in a different form known as ALA. The plant-based sources of omega-3 can be converted into EPA and DHA but the process is rather complicated and is not all that efficient. Therefore, it is best to include a variety of omega-3 fatty acid sources to reap the associated health benefits.

EPA and DHA Sources

·         Salmon

·         Mackerel

·         Sardines

·         White fish

·         Oysters

·         Mussel

·         Seaweed

ALA Sources:

·         Flax seed

·         Chia seed

·         Walnuts

·         Hemp seed

·         Soybeans and soybean oil

·         Algae oil

·         Canola oil

Limit Alcohol Consumption

One of the biggest risk factors associated with an increased risk of breast cancer is alcohol consumption. Alcohol is a well-known stimulant that increases inflammation in the body. For this reason, research has shown that alcohol intake is related to a higher chance of developing breast cancer. Intake as little as 10-15grams/day has been found to elevate the risk of breast cancer. The increased risk was noted regardless of the type of alcoholic beverage consumed. While the recommendation would be to abstain from alcohol, as a minimum it is best to limit alcohol intake to 1 drink/day for women. The image below gives you a better idea of what is considered a standard drink of alcohol by the alcohol type.

Figure 1: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. "What is a Standard Drink?"

Make Movement Part of your Routine

It is recommended to move at least 150 minutes per week, which equals out to be about 30 minutes per day, 5 days a week. Excess weight has been linked to an increased risk in the development of various types of cancer. Find a form of movement that is enjoyable to you and something that you can stick to.

Key Takeaways

To best support our body, it is important to make sure to focus on the factors we do have control over. While we cannot fix our environment or genetics, we have control over the everyday activities we engage in. With each bite and step we take, we are making the choice to put our health first by giving our body the defenses it needs to fight any chronic illnesses that may come our way in the future. Let’s honor this month by caring for ourselves and our loved ones by eating a healthy and balanced diet, being mindful of our alcohol intake, and trying to move our bodies on a regular basis.