In the clinic, many patients are often worried about breast cancer, and they often ask how to prevent it. They are also very concerned about what to eat to prevent breast cancer, what they can and cannot eat, and what they should not eat. The following is a brief description of what I have learned from other experts.
1. Diet is very important.
Experts point out that the occurrence of breast cancer is closely related to diet, so it is beneficial to prevent breast cancer by focusing on the regulation of daily diet.
Avoid obesity.
One of the high risk factors for breast cancer is postmenopausal obesity and a high-fat diet. High-fat diet is a stimulant for breast cancer. Long-term intake of fat can make the body produce a lot of estrogen-like and prostaglandin-like substances, which can stimulate the growth of cancer in excess. Therefore, controlling fat intake, reducing obesity and improving the immune mechanism and resistance to disease can effectively prevent and reduce the occurrence of breast cancer.
Minimize alcohol consumption.
Drinking alcohol is much more harmful to women than men. Women who drink alcohol have a higher risk of breast cancer than those who seldom drink alcohol, and those who drink one or more glasses of alcohol per day have more than 45% higher risk of breast cancer than those who seldom drink alcohol, and this risk is most significant among premenopausal women. It is believed that alcohol can stimulate the secretion of prolactin in the anterior pituitary gland, which in turn is related to the occurrence of breast cancer. Therefore, women, especially those before and after menopause, should abstain from alcohol and drink less alcohol.
Drink less coffee.
Coffee, cocoa and chocolate, such foods contain a large amount of xanthine, which can contribute to benign breast hyperplasia, which in turn is related to the occurrence of breast cancer. If women, especially premenopausal women, consume too much of these foods, the risk of breast cancer will greatly increase with the large intake of xanthine. Therefore, women, especially those above middle age, should drink less coffee and eat less chocolate.
Eat more fruits and vegetables.
Studies have found that coarse grains, vegetables and fruits, besides containing a large amount of plant fiber, vitamins and trace elements that can prevent and fight cancer, also contain a variety of bioactive substances that can stop and slow down the development of cancer at all stages, among which soybeans, corn, edible mushrooms, seaweeds, garlic, tomatoes, oranges and berry fruits have the most significant effects. Therefore, eating more of these foods in daily meals is not only beneficial to health, but also helps to prevent breast cancer.
Fish is beneficial.
According to reports, women in the United States, Switzerland, Canada and New Zealand, which eat less fish food, have a higher incidence of breast cancer, while women in Japan, which consumes more fish food, have a lower incidence of breast cancer. Experts say that fish contains a fatty acid that has the effect of inhibiting the proliferation of cancer cells, so eating more fish regularly and appropriately is very beneficial to the prevention of breast cancer.
Dietary habits.
The incidence of breast cancer in Asian women is much lower than that of North American and European women, which may be related to dietary habits and lifestyle. In recent years, it has been found that the anti-cancer effect of soy and its products is mainly related to the isoflavones in soy. Therefore, in terms of diet, women should avoid a high-fat diet and eat less red meat and more white meat. The risk of breast cancer in women who drink alcohol is also high, and this risk is directly related to the amount of alcohol consumed. It should be said that by adjusting the diet, reducing the intake of excessive meat, fried eggs, butter, sweets and spicy foods, and increasing the intake of green vegetables, fruits, carotenoids, mushrooms and legumes, all of them are helpful to reduce the incidence of breast cancer. Coarse grains such as black bread and low-fat, high-fiber foods such as fruits and vegetables have a preventive effect on breast cancer because they can lower the level of estrogen in the blood. If you consume fermented milk products such as yogurt and cheese regularly, the risk of breast cancer can be reduced by 77%.
2.Drug prevention
Tamoxifen is the most promising means to prevent breast cancer. Studies have confirmed that taking tamoxifen for 5 years under the guidance of doctors in high-risk groups can reduce the incidence of breast cancer by nearly half, which is still in need of large-scale evidence-based medical evidence to confirm.
3. Moderate exercise
Studies have shown that women of childbearing age who get an average of 4 hours of physical activity per week have a 60% reduction in the risk of breast cancer. Among all walks of life, athletes have the lowest incidence of breast cancer. The amount of exercise consumes excess fat, there is no fat on the body, and the estrogen in the body is kept at a low level, which helps prevent breast cancer. Intensify exercise. Exercise can make the estrogen level in women’s body drop and reduce the number of ovulation. Especially, it makes the accumulation of abdominal fat that can generate estrogen decrease and keeps the immune system function in good condition.
4. Quit smoking
There is an enzyme in the human body that can reduce the effect of carcinogenic toxins in tobacco, and some women have very low vitality of this enzyme, so once they smoke, they are more likely to develop breast cancer than others.
5. Don’t be too late to have children
Many urban women are reluctant to give birth or postpone it to after 30 years old because of the tight work pace and keeping fit, which is very bad. This is because they may lose a chance to enhance their ability to fight against breast cancer. Why? A woman’s first full-term pregnancy can lead to a series of changes in the breast epithelium, making the epithelial cells more resistant to genetic mutations and producing a large amount of progesterone, which is useful for protecting breast health and is the “opposite” of estrogen, which makes breast tissue swell and progesterone comes out to “reduce the swelling”. Therefore, although pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding are hard work, they bring women not only a lovely next generation, but also greatly enhance women’s ability to resist diseases, and the earlier this ability is acquired, the more beneficial it is to prevent the occurrence of breast cancer.