4 Steps to Take Today to Reduce Breast Cancer Risk

As we recognize Breast Cancer Awareness Month this October, I want to share the Let’s Beat Breast Cancer program’s recommendations, developed by doctors and dietitians.

The evidence-based four-pronged approach includes:

1. Choosing plant-based foods
2. Exercising regularly
3. Limiting alcohol
4. Maintaining a healthy weight

Earlier this year, the American Medical Association called on physicians like me to regularly discuss these steps with patients—something I already do every day as a physician board-certified in lifestyle medicine. If you are a healthcare professional, I encourage you to discuss these steps with patients, become a Let’s Beat Breast Cancer Partner in Prevention, and order your Let’s Beat Breast Cancer waiting room kit today.

Sharing this information is urgently needed, as a national survey found that more than 80% of women reported that their healthcare providers had not discussed with them the role of diet in the prevention of breast cancer.

It’s potentially lifesaving for the 1 in 8 women born in the United States today who will develop breast cancer. This year alone, more than 380,000 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer, and about 42,000 will die from the disease.

While all four Let’s Beat Breast Cancer steps are vital, I want to focus on the benefits of eating a plant-based diet rich in fruits, vegetables, grains, and beans. In addition to helping maintain a healthy weight, plant foods are rich in fiber, which is beneficial because it removes excess estrogen through the digestive tract, reducing breast cancer risk.

Fiber, found only in plant foods, also comes packaged with antioxidants—compounds that give plants their bright colors—which are protective against breast cancer. In October, pumpkins, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, and carrots are all abundant, and the beta-carotene that gives them their color has cancer-fighting properties.

A few of my favorite recipes this time of year include a pumpkin smoothie for breakfast, a baked sweet potato for lunch, lentil pumpkin curry for dinner, and, of course, pumpkin pie for dessert!

Some women may be surprised to learn that soy products, like the soy milk I use in the pumpkin smoothie and the tofu in the pumpkin pie, are also beneficial against breast cancer and its recurrence.

Eating a more plant-based diet can also help you shift away from animal products including dairy milk, processed meats like bacon and deli meat, and grilled chicken and other meats, which have all been shown to increase the risk of breast cancer.   

If you’d like to schedule an appointment with the Barnard Medical Center to discuss breast health or other health concerns, please visit https://www.pcrm.org/barnard-medical-center/appointments/new-patients.