How To Reduce Breast Cancer

Five Ways To Help Reduce Your Breast Cancer Risk

Although there is no sure way to prevent breast cancer, there are several things you can do that may lower your likelihood of getting it.

Here are 5 ways to help protect your breast health.

1. Get to and stay at a healthy weight.

Being overweight or obese increases breast cancer risk, especially after menopause. Gaining weight as an adult adds to your risk.

After menopause, most of your estrogen comes from fat tissue. Having more fat tissue increases the amount of estrogen your body makes, raising your risk of breast cancer. Also, women who are overweight tend to have higher levels of insulin. Higher insulin levels have also been linked to breast cancer.

If youre already at a healthy weight, stay there. If youre carrying extra pounds, try to lose some. Theres some evidence that losing weight may lower breast cancer risk. Losing even a small amount of weight can also have other health benefits and is a good place to start.

2. Be physically active and avoid time spent sitting.

Many studies have found that regular physical activity reduces breast cancer risk .

Recent updates to the American Cancer Society Guideline for Diet and Physical Activity recommend getting at least 150-300 minutes of moderate intensity or 75-150 minutes of vigorous intensity activity each week. Getting to or exceeding 300 minutes is ideal. You can learn more about getting active in Fitting in Fitness.

3. Follow a healthy eating pattern.

4. It is best not to drink alcohol.

Lose Body Fat Especially After Menopause

One way physical activity may protect against breast cancer is by reducing body fat, which is itself a risk factor for breast cancer and body fat tends to creep up after menopause. A 2015 study in JAMA Oncologyshowed that a year-long program of aerobic exercise reduced body fat in postmenopausal women, and 300 minutes per week of moderate-to-vigorous exercise was more effective at cutting body fat than 150 minutes a week.

To lose weight, you need to either reduce caloric intake or burn more calories. A 2015 study in Breast Cancer Research divided previously inactive, overweight, postmenopausal women into diet, exercise, and control groups. Women in both the diet and exercise groups lost weight, and not surprisingly, exercising resulted in the maintenance of lean mass and improved fitness. It also produced greater fat loss and led to a more significant reduction in sex hormones associated with breast cancer.

Getting Screened And Advances In Treatment

Women at average risk should start talking to their doctors about breast cancer screening, likely with a mammogram, at age 40. Some women choose to wait until 45 or later to get screened, but 40 is the age to at least start the conversation, Dr. Troester says.

Each woman has a different risk profile, though for women at higher risk of breast cancer, for example because of family history, mammograms should begin earlier, probably in the 30s. Again, a conversation with your doctor is key.

Early detection is so important, Dr. Troester says. We see a lot of success with treating breast cancer that is detected early.

In fact, the five-year survival rate for women with stage 0 and stage 1 breast cancer is close to 100 percent for stage 2, its about 93 percent. Women with stage 3 and even stage 4 cancers also have many treatment options, but early detection offers the best chance of remission.

Those survival rates might be increasing, too, because of new research.

Right now, we have several clinical trials taking place at UNC that are

advancing the science around breast cancer risk and progression, Dr. Troester says. We have a large team working together to identify and study the different types of breast cancers. This is exciting because it will help doctors figure out the best prevention strategies and best treatments to obtain the optimal outcomes for each specific type of breast cancer.

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How To Reduce Breast Density To Decrease Breast Cancer Risk

If you are at a higher risk of breast cancer because of dense breasts, family history or use of the birth control pill or hormone replacement therapy, avoid red meat, alcohol and sugar, and minimize saturated fats found in butter and cheese. Adopt a primarily vegan diet. Increase fiber intake, consuming 45 grams daily. Exercise 40-60 minutes daily. Drink rosemary tea daily and use turmeric, 2 Tbsp freshly ground flaxseeds and 2 Tbsp flaxseed oil in your food regularly. Use 3000 IU vitamin D3, 100 mg co-enzyme Q10, 300 mg Indole-3-carbinol, 100 mg B complex, 1500 mg curcumin, 1000 mg N-acetyl cysteine and 300 mg alpha lipoic acid daily.

Talk To Your Doctor About Your Family History

If cancer seems to run in your family, consider taking an important, and possibly lifesaving step genetic counseling. It can empower you by providing information about your cancer risks, the likelihood that your familys history of cancer is hereditary and your options for genetic testing. HonorHealth develops your testing plan based on family history and individual needs, saving you money and focusing on the right genetic targets. Call to schedule an appointment with a genetic counselor.

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Eat Your Fruits & Vegetables And Avoid Too Much Alcohol

A healthy diet can help lower the risk of breast cancer. Try to eat a lot of fruits and vegetables and keep alcohol at moderate levels or lower . While moderate drinking can be good for the heart in older adults, even low levels of intake can increase the risk of breast cancer. If you dont drink, dont feel you need to start. If you drink moderately, theres likely no reason to stop. But, if you drink more, you should cut down or quit.

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Chill On The Cocktails

Drinking alcohol is tightly linked with breast cancer, and the more you drink, the greater your risk. Overall, imbibers face a 28 percent greater risk of breast cancer, and there is no threshold that is, even a little alcohol increases your risk. A 2015 British Medical Journal study showed that even light-to-moderate drinking increased cancer risk in women by about 13 percent.

Dialing back can cut your risk. Research indicates that for women who have survived one bout of breast cancer, curbing alcohol reduces the risk of recurrence. If you enjoy alcohol, try weaning yourself to sparkling water. If you usually drink every day, make some evenings alcohol-free.

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Other Important Risk Factors For Breast Cancer

Unfortunately, there are also a number of important breast cancer risk factors that women have no control over. Knowing which ones apply to you can help you understand your risk and do what you can to lower it. If you feel youre at high risk, talk to a doctor or other health professional. These can increase a womans breast cancer risk:

• Older age, especially 60 years or over
• Family history of breast cancer
• First menstrual period before age 12
• Menopause at age 55 or over
• First childbirth after age 35
• No children
• Tall height
• Dense breasts

Stop Using Drugs Causing Big Breast Size

If you want to learn how to reduce breast size at home, it is very important to know which drugs you are using trigger your cup size gaining. Some hormonal medications like birth control will increase your breast size. So, in case you are using any of these drugs, lets visit your doctors and ask for alternative solution for it.

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Consider Your Birth Control

Hormonal forms of contraception — such as pills and some IUDs — are linked to a slightly higher chance of breast cancer. But they can also protect you against other types of tumors. Your doctor can help you think about how the things that raise your odds of having breast cancer compare with the reliability and health benefits of different types of birth control and decide whatâs best for you.

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Be Mindful Of Your Environment Including Household Chemicals

It’s long been suspected that environmental exposures, including the chemicals we are exposed to in everything from household cleaners to cosmetics, may play a role both in breast cancer risk and recurrence. While it’s difficult to study , we are learning that practicing caution is wise.

A 2017 review looked at the evidence to date connecting breast cancer and the environment. Some compounds, such as PCBs , may raise the risk of recurrence. Others may alter the regulation of genes involved in cell growth, apoptosis , and much more. Endocrine disrupting chemicals can mimic the function of hormones in our bodies, and it’s well known that the hormone estrogen should be avoided to reduce breast cancer recurrence, at least for people with hormone positive tumors.

There is a great amount of information out there of varying degrees of concern, but the important thing to note is that it’s relatively easy to avoid concerning chemicals . Most household cleaners can easily be replaced with baking soda, lemon juice, and vinegar .

The environmental working group has a website where you can search on thousands of personal care products . And adding a few houseplants to your home can help to absorb many indoor air carcinogens with indoor air thought to be more of a concern that outdoor air pollution.

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Make Your Diet Healthy

Diet has an important role in the overall health of the body. A healthy diet is also helpful in reducing the risk of breast cancer. Try to avoid or limit add the fast foods in your diet as they may cause body weight gain. Make your diet healthy and eat fresh fruits and vegetables to lower the risk of breast cancer. A healthy diet helps you to maintain your body weight that is directly linked to breast cancer. You can eat Leafy green vegetables, Citrus fruits, Fatty fish, Berries, Fermented foods, Allium vegetables, Peaches, apples, pears, and Beans. It is recommended to limit or avoid red and processed meat and sugar-sweetened beverages to stay healthy. A good diet is essential for good health and also lowers your risk of breast cancer.

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Lifestyle Changes After Breast Cancer

Lifestyle Changes after Breast Cancer Treatment: Conversations on Survival. A group of breast cancer survivors openly discuss what lifestyle changes were continued or changed after treatment. The importance of living in the moment, maintaining a healthy lifestyle, and knowing what is really important in life are all discussed.

To help yourself better cope with the side effects of breast cancer treatment and to reduce your chances of breast cancer recurrence, try incorporating these healthy tips:

1) Take care of yourself emotionally

• Put your needs first sometimes
• Attend a support group or find a breast cancer survivor you can talk with
• Stay informed about new breast cancer research
• Consider psychotherapy and/or antidepressants if warranted if youre taking tamoxifen, check with your oncologist to ensure the prescribed antidepressant does not interfere with your endocrine treatment
• Communicate with your doctor about fears or concerns
• Volunteer or become a breast cancer advocate

2) Take care of yourself physically

• Exercise regularly
• Report any physical changes to either your oncologist or primary care provider
• Seek treatment for lymphedema if you experience signs

3) Eat healthy

Research has shown that a diet high in fat and calories increases circulating estrogen in the blood. Consuming a low fat and low calorie diet after breast cancer can improve your overall health and wellness. Here are some dietary suggestions:

4) Reduce stress

5) Limit alcohol

6) Exercise regularly

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Preventive Surgery For Women With Very High Breast Cancer Risk

For the small fraction of women who have a very high risk for breast cancer, such as from a BRCA gene mutation, surgery to remove the breasts may be an option. Another option might be to remove the ovaries, which are the main source of estrogen in the body. While surgery can lower the risk of breast cancer, it cant eliminate it completely, and it can have its own side effects. For more on this topic, see Preventive Surgery to Reduce Breast Cancer Risk.

Before deciding which, if any, of these options might be right for you, talk with your health care provider to understand your risk of breast cancer and how much any of these approaches might affect your risk.

What Else Can I Do

Be vigilant about breast cancer detection. If you notice any changes in your breasts, such as a new lump or skin changes, consult your doctor. Also, ask your doctor when to begin mammograms and other screenings based on your personal history.

At OC Sports and Wellness, we help our patients using the principles of integrative medicine to achieve the best possible health outcomes through in-depth health assessments, testing, and lifestyle changes. Take the first step on your journey to health and prevention. Visit our or give us a call to learn more at 949-460-9111.

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How To Reduce Breast Size Without Surgery Have A Good Posture

Having a good posture is also one of the best tips on how to reduce breast size in 7 days at home. Yin fact, your breasts will hang because of your bad posture. It will even make your breasts larger. Therefore, this is the main reason why you have to stand up straight with your shoulders pulled back. At the same time, your breasts will be lift and the chest tissue will be stretched. A good posture will physically reduce your breast shape. In case you have difficulty in standing straight, look for posture correctors or ask your doctor.

Find Out Your Family History

Women with a strong family history of cancer can take special steps to protect themselves, so its important for women to know their family history. You may be at high risk of breast cancer if you have a mother or sister who developed breast or ovarian cancer or if you have multiplefamily members who developed breast, ovarian or prostate cancer. A doctor or genetic counselor can help you understand your family history of the disease.

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Treatments Of Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is treated in several ways, depending on the type and how far it has spread in the body.

Treatments can include surgery where doctors cut out cancer tissue, chemotherapy to shrink the cancer cells, radiation therapy to kill the cancer cells and hormonal therapy that blocks cancer cells from getting the hormones they need to grow.

Biological therapy can also be an option, which works with the bodys immune system to help it fight cancer cells.

Can I Lower My Risk Of Breast Cancer

There is no sure way to prevent breast cancer. But there are things you can do that might lower your risk. Many risk factors are beyond your control, such as being born female and getting older. But other risk factors can be changed and may lower your risk.

For women who are known to be at increased risk for breast cancer, there are additional steps that might reduce the risk of developing breast cancer.

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Is There A Link Between Birth Control Pills And Breast Cancer

Theres some evidence that hormonal contraception, which includes birth control pills and IUDs that release hormones, increases the risk of breast cancer. But the risk is considered very small, and it decreases after you stop using hormonal contraceptives.

A recent study that showed an association between hormonal contraceptive use and breast cancer determined one additional breast cancer could be expected for every 7,690 women who use hormonal contraception for at least one year.

Discuss your contraceptive options with your doctor. Also consider the benefits of hormonal contraception, such as controlling menstrual bleeding, preventing an unwanted pregnancy, and reducing the risk of other cancers, including endometrial cancer and ovarian cancer.

Boosting Your Immune System

Although no food or diet can prevent you from getting breast cancer some foods can make your body the healthiest it can be, boost your immune system, and help keep your risk for breast cancer as low as possible.

Some general recommendations proposed by Registered Dietitians include:

• Keep your body weight in a healthy range for your height and frame. Body mass index though not a perfect measurement, can help you estimate your healthy weight.
• Eat plenty of vegetables and fruit .
• Try to limit your saturated fat intake to less than 10% of your total calories per day, and limit your fat intake to about 30 grams per day.
• Eat foods high in omega-3 fatty acids.
• Avoid trans fats, processed meats, and charred or smoked foods.

You’ll find that processed foods generally don’t fit in this type of diet as well as fresh foods do.

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Being active, eating a balanced diet and making healthy lifestyle choices can be physically and mentally rewarding at any point in life. And it can also produce positive benefits in helping prevent and/or reduce breast cancer.

Thanks to the Breast Cancer Awareness organization as well as the Susan G. Komen organization for much of the content provided in this column.

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How To Reduce Breast Size Massage

When you massage your breasts, you should give equal time for each breast.

How to do:

You apply warm coconut oil or olive oil on your breasts.

You use your ring finger and middle finger, and then massage your breasts in upward direction and circular motions for about 10 minutes.

You repeat the massage 2 times a day for more than 3 months to see a size reduction.

Also, you can massage with a breast-reduction lotion or cream.

Read More: 20 Best Tips On How To Increase Breast Size Naturally