Nearly all of us know someone that has had their life uprooted by breast cancer. Whether it was your mother, daughter, sister, grandmother, aunt, cousin, close friend or coworker nearly everyone has been impacted. Because of this, we all are familiar with the prevalence of this disease being about 1 in 8 women during their lifetime receiving this diagnosis.
It is not all bad news.
Did you know the death rate from breast cancer in women over age 50 has been declining for the past several years? We think this is from earlier detection by screening and advances in treatment.
What if you can significantly reduce your risk of getting the disease? Is this possible?
Looking closer at breast cancer statistics we see that 85% of breast cancers occur in women with no family history of breast cancer. That’s right, non-hereditary breast cancer is the most common form.
What causes breast cancer if it is not hereditary?
Aging and lifestyle are the main risk factors. While you cannot change your age, did you know you can significantly slow down the biological aging process and risk of ALL cancers by making daily lifestyle choices? This is not as absurd as I’m suggesting. Most other developed countries outside of the U.S. recognize aging as a disease process… not just something that happens as you get older.
What can I do?
Do what your mother or grandmother told you when you were a child.
Eat your vegetables and go outside and play!
In all seriousness; keeping yourself at an ideal body composition (optimal fat percentage, muscle mass and waist circumference), eating a plant-based diet with healthy fats and lean protein, eliminating or restricting alcohol intake and other toxins from your environment, regular moderate exercise at minimum of 30 minutes 5 days per week and avoiding smoking will significantly reduce your risk of developing breast cancer. Many studies indicate doing these things can reduce your risk 50-80%. That’s right… up to 80%. That would eliminate nearly ALL non-hereditary breast cancers in women.
At Destination Health we work with each individual to create a holistic, personalized, comprehensive wellness plan by identifying risks for diseases including breast cancer and guide you to reduce or eliminate those risks.