breast cancer such as other cancers, breast cancer is a complex disease, and there is no sure way to protect you from this disease. But Mehmet Oz, MD, a leading heart surgeon and host of The Dr. events. Oz Show, which won a Daytime Emmy Award, said that there are many things you can do to avoid this disease. "I'm pretty sure that quite a lot of breast cancer associated with environmental risk," said Dr. Oz. "In countries like Japan, breast cancer is dramatically lower than in the United States. When Japanese women move to America, in a generation, they will get the same effect of breast cancer with American women."
Here are 10 things you can do to help prevent breast cancer.
Set boundaries on your BMI
Overweight has many negative consequences on health, and risk of breast cancer is one of them. The effect is dramatic weight loss. "For a woman weighing more than 79 kg, the chance for breast cancer is about 25% higher than someone who has a weight of 60 kg." said Dr. Oz. "If there is a drug that can give us the same improvements with weight loss, we all will be free of this disease." Try to keep your body mass index (BMI) below 25. 2 more reasons to keep your weight controlled are: Breast cancer is often detected at advanced stages have been in women who are overweight, and overweight women are more likely to die from breast cancer.
Sport
Light exercise each day reduces the risk of breast cancer of 15-25%, said Dr. Oz. And you do not have to be junkie gym or training for a marathon - walking 30 minutes 5 days a week is enough. To get a protective effect, walk quickly. "It should be light exercise," said Dr. Oz. "Is not just a walk to the park" One of the ways exercise can reduce breast cancer risk is by reducing the levels of circulating estrogen in the body. Although estrogen is important for many normal functions of the body, increased estrogen exposure may increase the risk of breast cancer.
Options for alcohol
Evidence that alcohol increases the risk of cancer, including breast cancer, is very strong that in 2000, the National Institutes of Health to register consumption of alcohol beverages as a "human carcinogen" for the first time. Dr. Oz advised to avoid alcohol altogether or severely limit alcohol beverages. The American Cancer Society says more and more a woman drank, the higher the risk of breast cancer. Even one drink a day increases a small risk. Women who drink 2-5 drinks a day were 1.5 times more likely to develop breast cancer.
Options for alcohol
Evidence that alcohol increases the risk of cancer, including breast cancer, is very strong that in 2000, the National Institutes of Health to register consumption of alcohol beverages as a "human carcinogen" for the first time. Dr. Oz advised to avoid alcohol altogether or severely limit alcohol beverages. The American Cancer Society says more and more a woman drank, the higher the risk of breast cancer. Even one drink a day increases a small risk. Women who drink 2-5 drinks a day were 1.5 times more likely to develop breast cancer.
Eating for protection Healthy eating can reduce your risk of breast cancer, and an unhealthy diet can increase your risk. Dr. Oz recommends eating lots of fruits and vegetables, whole grains and lean protein. Use fish oil instead of animal fats, and avoid sugary drinks, refined carbohydrates and fatty foods. There are certain foods that offer additional protection, such as soy intact, especially if fermented, he said. Oz. "Soy has estrogen which attack cells, but they do not have the same effect with estrogen the body." Conversely, estrogen, natural estrogen found in soy can inhibit the body estrogen affects cells. Dr. Oz says other foods that can help protect against cancer, among others, turmeric, olive oil, green tea and seaweed.
Say no to hormones
Over the decades, women using hormone therapy during and after menopause to combat symptoms such as heat, irritability and difficulty sleeping. But recent research has shown that hormone replacement therapy can increase the risk of breast cancer. Just how much of that hormone replacement can increase this risk is unclear, but said Dr. Oz says if you do not have symptoms of menopause, is a good idea to leave these hormones. However, he added that okay to use hormones if necessary to relieve the symptoms of menopause who do not want - advice which he gave to his own family members. "Use of hormones as long as you need it, but probably less than 5 years is appropriate," he said.
Consider drug
Women over the age of 60 years or who have a family history of breast cancer should be considering using estrogen inhibitor drugs such as tamoxifen or raloxifene, he said. Oz. Both these drugs stop breast cells from the effects of estrogen. According to the American Cancer Society, studies have shown that tamoxifen reduces breast cancer risk by about 50% and raloxifene reduce the risk to about 38% in women who are at higher risk of this disease. Because there are also side effects related to these drugs, Dr. Oz strongly encourages women to talk with their doctors about the pros and cons.
Stay away from cigarettes
Although smoking is a factor in lung cancer and other cancers, its relationship with breast cancer is unclear. But a review panel recently by experts in Canada shows that both active smoking and exposure to cigarette smoke increases the risk of breast cancer in women pre-menopause. This panel cites evidence from studies showing that women who start smoking at a young age 20% more likely to develop breast cancer, and smoking for many years to increase this risk to 30%. In essence, according to Dr. Oz, is that breast cancer is just one of many reasons to stay away from cigarettes. "I can give you 50 reasons not to smoke," he said.
Nurse
Lots of studies have shown that women who breastfeed have a lower risk for breast cancer. The fact that women in developed countries which tend to breastfeed for a shorter period or not breastfeeding at all is a major contributor to the high breast cancer in these countries, according to an analysis of 47 studies in 30 countries. When a woman is breastfeeding, it is clear Dr. Oz, her body produces the hormone prolactin level is higher, which lower estrogen levels. The longer a woman breast-feeding during his lifetime, the greater the protection against breast cancer, as concluded in the analysis. Dr. Oz recommends that, whenever possible, women breast-feeding for at least 1 year.
Take part in research
Dr. Oz supports women to consider participating in clinical trials are studying ways to reduce the risk of breast cancer. For example, ongoing research is studying whether soy, vitamin D, green tea and other foods or supplements affect the risk of breast cancer. By participating in a clinical trial, you have the opportunity to help all women, and you may lose your own risk of breast cancer at the same time. And there are more benefits. "No doubt, people will get better care if they are in clinical trials," said Dr. Oz.