Growing up female, breasts are an unusual body part because they don't show up until you are at least a decade old and the awkward conversations about "becoming a woman" make your cheeks flush in embarrassment, or at least mine did. As a teenager you are trying to find the right bra and the best way to cover up your breasts that once you are finally comfortable with your body as an adult you are only trying to maintain from then on. By learning how to check for lumps in the shower and scheduling yearly mammograms, breast health is also about keeping your diet rich in certain foods and nutrients.
While a glass of wine or two may be heart-healthy during the week, regular consumption of alcohol might be hindering what lies outside of your chest. Recent studies in 2008 emerge with new information about the link between alcohol and cancer, specifically in relation to breast cancer. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) reported that while the findings seem to be a step in the right direction to finding out the truth, there is nothing definite about the new results and the spokesperson says that the risk for breast cancer, " ... is not the same as saying causality has been proven, "says the chief of the NIC's Nutritional Epidemiology Branch, Dr. Arthur Schatzkin, from the Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics. Schatzkin continues," The breast cancer risks involved with alcohol are indeed modest; nothing like the magnitude of the risks between smoking and lung cancer or HPV and cervical cancer. "
As for certain foods, odds are your mother always told you to eat your fruits and vegetables even when you are not at the dinner table. Rumors have been going around that veggies like cauliflower, broccoli, bok choi, and cabbage can help survivors of breast cancer have a lower recurrence rate over other women who ate less of these flavorful "crunchy" vegetables paired with a low-fat diet.
Published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, the breast cancer recurrence findings are based on the amount of estrogen stored in the body. Estrogen is kept in a woman's body fat so women who are overweight or obese can be at a higher risk for another breast cancer occurrence over those who keep a close watch on their diet. Most of the treatment options for certain breast cancer types are based around stopping the production of estrogen to curb the recurrence of the cancer.
Dr. Julia A. Smith, director of New York University's Cancer Institute's breast cancer prevention and screening program, says that changes in diet can make a difference, "We've known for a long time that, theoretically, diet influences breast cancer in some way. "
Another popular ingredient to help stave off nasty tumors in your favorite pair of body parts is rumored to be flaxseed. Some of the bad press surrounding flaxseed has been because of the "fake cancer cures" that have been showing up on news broadcasts and internet sites in the last few years used as a scam. Well-instead of the flaxseed oil caplets that supposedly cured cancer-ground flaxseed, if used correctly, sprinkled on your morning yogurt, in your Wheaties, or even blended in a smoothie can support not just your chest health but your whole body.
Regardless of whether or not you or a loved one is a breast cancer survivor hoping to overcome another batch of tumors, remember to show your chest some love because even in awkward development stages, through embarrasing conversations, or during a sensitive time of the month, they are still a part of you. Next time you are at the grocery store instead of just looking down at your grocery list, try looking down at the friends located between your neck and your bellybutton and remember to stock up on healthy low-fat offerings as well as crunchy vegetables or savory nutty seeds to spruce up your daily diet.
While a glass of wine or two may be heart-healthy during the week, regular consumption of alcohol might be hindering what lies outside of your chest. Recent studies in 2008 emerge with new information about the link between alcohol and cancer, specifically in relation to breast cancer. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) reported that while the findings seem to be a step in the right direction to finding out the truth, there is nothing definite about the new results and the spokesperson says that the risk for breast cancer, " ... is not the same as saying causality has been proven, "says the chief of the NIC's Nutritional Epidemiology Branch, Dr. Arthur Schatzkin, from the Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics. Schatzkin continues," The breast cancer risks involved with alcohol are indeed modest; nothing like the magnitude of the risks between smoking and lung cancer or HPV and cervical cancer. "
As for certain foods, odds are your mother always told you to eat your fruits and vegetables even when you are not at the dinner table. Rumors have been going around that veggies like cauliflower, broccoli, bok choi, and cabbage can help survivors of breast cancer have a lower recurrence rate over other women who ate less of these flavorful "crunchy" vegetables paired with a low-fat diet.
Published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, the breast cancer recurrence findings are based on the amount of estrogen stored in the body. Estrogen is kept in a woman's body fat so women who are overweight or obese can be at a higher risk for another breast cancer occurrence over those who keep a close watch on their diet. Most of the treatment options for certain breast cancer types are based around stopping the production of estrogen to curb the recurrence of the cancer.
Dr. Julia A. Smith, director of New York University's Cancer Institute's breast cancer prevention and screening program, says that changes in diet can make a difference, "We've known for a long time that, theoretically, diet influences breast cancer in some way. "
Another popular ingredient to help stave off nasty tumors in your favorite pair of body parts is rumored to be flaxseed. Some of the bad press surrounding flaxseed has been because of the "fake cancer cures" that have been showing up on news broadcasts and internet sites in the last few years used as a scam. Well-instead of the flaxseed oil caplets that supposedly cured cancer-ground flaxseed, if used correctly, sprinkled on your morning yogurt, in your Wheaties, or even blended in a smoothie can support not just your chest health but your whole body.
Regardless of whether or not you or a loved one is a breast cancer survivor hoping to overcome another batch of tumors, remember to show your chest some love because even in awkward development stages, through embarrasing conversations, or during a sensitive time of the month, they are still a part of you. Next time you are at the grocery store instead of just looking down at your grocery list, try looking down at the friends located between your neck and your bellybutton and remember to stock up on healthy low-fat offerings as well as crunchy vegetables or savory nutty seeds to spruce up your daily diet.
