WEARING PINK IS NOT ENOUGH!

In past month we’ve seen many people including anchors and other media persons wearing pink ribbon, PINK walks were organized, and towns were painted PINK! But do you think it’s enough?

Breast cancer poses a serious health risk for women throughout the world. More than 1 million women worldwide are diagnosed with breast cancer every year. For women having breast cancer is the biggest fear, They are more afraid of it than the Heart diseases which are 10 times more likely to take away their precious lives

“Cancer is not an inevitability. Women have more control over the disease than they think," says Margaret I. Cuomo, MD, author of A World without Cancer: The Making of a New Cure and the Real Promise of Prevention.

The risk of Breast cancer or its recurrence can be significantly reduced by changing Lifestyle to a healthier and active one!

Certain common-sense practices such as getting enough sleep, managing stress and depression in a better way, living actively, exercising, and eating healthy food can play an important role in boosting our immune system which in turn will actively and efficiently protect us from such nightmares!

TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR HEALTH!

GET MOVING!

   There’s growing evidence that regular physical activity is helpful in reducing breast-cancer risk.

  Physical activity including regular walking, jogging, swimming or other aerobics helps lowering body fat, boosting metabolism and keeping body weight under control which may lower your risk of Breast Cancer.

An American Cancer Society study found that women who'd gained 21 to 30 pounds since age 18 were 40% more likely to develop breast cancer than those who hadn't gained more than 5 pounds.

 

 Exercise alters estrogen metabolism, according to a study published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention. "Among women who exercise, the ratio of 'good' estrogens to 'bad' estrogens [those that can damage DNA and increase a woman's breast cancer risk] improved by roughly 25%.Past research has shown that the greater this ratio, the lower a woman's breast cancer risk. Among women who don't exercise, the ratio didn't budge," says study coauthor Mindy Kurzer, PhD, a professor of nutrition at the University of Minnesota.

 

The Women's Health Initiative found that women who walked briskly for 1¼ to 2½ hours a week had 18% less risk of breast cancer than women who were inactive. 

To protect yourself from breast cancer—and all cancers—the ACS recommends aiming for 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise weekly, which breaks down to 30 minutes 5 days a week.

EATING HEALTHY:

Healthy diet is not a magic-bullet against cancer but recent studies has revealed its effectiveness.

There are strong researches favoring “what you eat can affect your risk”

 

A meal plan rich in fresh fruits and vegetables, and low in starchy carbohydrates and animal fat may reduce the risk of breast cancer and its recurrence.

Harvard researchers recently found that women who had the highest carotenoid levels in their blood had a 19% lower risk of breast cancer than those with the lowest levels.

Carotenoids are found in fruits and vegetables such as leafy greens, carrots, and red peppers. Women who consumed more carotenoids had an even lower risk of developing estrogen-receptor-negative breast cancer (which is often more aggressive). Other phytonutrients may also protect against breast cancer, including sulforaphane (found in cruciferous vegetables) and lycopene (the chemical that gives tomatoes their red color). 

The ACS recommends eating five or more servings of fruits and veggies a day, limiting  processed and red meats, and choosing whole grains to help reduce risks of all types of cancer.

LIMIT HORMONE THERAPY:

Menopausal hormonal therapy increases risk for Breast Cancer.

The Women's Health Initiative found that long-term use of combined estrogen plus progestin therapy increases a woman's risk of breast cancer by 24%.

"The average woman taking HT should weigh the potential increased breast cancer risk versus the quality-of-life component and limit the duration of use," says Mary L. Gemignani, MD, a breast surgeon at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City.

 "HEALTH IS BY CHOICE, NOT BY CHANCE"

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