Cancer: a bone-chilling word for everyone.

This month, we sat down with Dr. Dani Steininger to talk about how we can reduce our breast cancer risk for all genders — that’s right, men can get breast cancer too, unfortunately. The small things you do today can help your long-term goals for later in life. Although there’s no formula on how to prevent breast cancer for a fact, read on to see what you can do to minimize your chances of a diagnosis.

Eat Your Veggies

They say you are what you eat — and they’re right. A diet that’s rich in
vegetables, low in saturated fats and carbs can decrease your breast cancer risk by 60% if maintained over five years. If you want to go the extra mile, add fiber to your mealplan to lessen your chances of diagnosis by another 12%.

Sticking to a diet that decreases insulin levels can decrease your insulin resistance. Early (prediabetes) and late (diabetes) insulin resistance increases breast cancer risk by 30%. Insulin suppressing foods include leafy greens and whole grains.

Drink Less Alcohol, Drink More Water

Swap the cocktail for a low-sugar mocktail! Recommendations for a
healthy level of consumption of alcohol are ever-changing, but breast
cancer has been associated with all levels of alcohol consumption. Each drink per day increases your risk of breast cancer by ten percent — this risk doubles if you are on hormones when you’re under the influence.

Exercise

Whether you’re the tennis, hiking, or biking type, it’s so important to get up and get moving. Along with all other benefits associated with exercise, regular physical activity decreased the risk of breast cancer by 20 percent and rigorous exercise by 30 percent.

Catch your Zzz’s

Getting regular full nights of sleep each night does wonders for your skin, immune system, brain and just about every single part of your body. Full nights of rest are protective against breast cancer as studies show that women who work the graveyard shift are more likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime. Women with long-term disruption of their circadian rhythm and low melatonin also are at higher risk.

Know Your Body

You should know yourself best. To calculate your personal risk from the National Cancer Institute, click these links: https://bcrisktool.cancer.gov/ and https://ibis.ikonopedia.com/ If your lifetime risk is higher than 20 percent, contact us or your breast specialist for further discussion on how we can better personalize your screening strategies.

Schedule your 3D mammogram and/or annual breast exam. Call us today at (972) 542-8884. Let’s catch it early!

Click the links to learn more about Dr. Dani Steininger and Adriatica Women’s Health. Follow the discussion around women’s health on social media. Then, use our contact form to ask any questions you may have.