Breast cancer: Reduce your risk with the right diet

Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in women worldwide, including in our country. The risk of developing the disease doubles every decade after menopause, while in terms of treatment, survival rates have improved significantly in recent years.

The onset of breast cancer is due to genetic (genes) and environmental factors.

Diet, as part of our lifestyle and environment, is one of the factors that play an important role in preventing many types of cancer, including breast cancer.

First, let's look at the general guidelines from the World Cancer Research Fund for reducing the risk of breast cancer.

General guidelines for breast cancer prevention

1. Maintain your weight at normal levels with a BMI of 18.5-24.9 kg/m2.
2. Exercise regularly.
3. Limit your consumption of foods that are energy-dense, high in fat and sugar.
4. Choose unprocessed foods such as legumes, vegetables, and fruits.
5. Limit your consumption of sugary drinks
6. Limit your consumption of red and processed meat.
7. Limit alcohol consumption
8. Avoid using supplements to prevent cancer. Follow a balanced diet that provides you with all the nutrients your body needs.
9. Choose breastfeeding.
10. Cancer survivors are advised to follow the guidelines for cancer prevention.
11. Frequent preventive checks

With regard to weight, while increased weight protects against breast cancer before menopause, weight gain in adulthood increases the risk of breast cancer after menopause!

Breast cancer and nutrition

Which foods increase the risk of breast cancer?;

With regard to food and beverages, alcohol consumption increases the risk of breast cancer in women before and after menopause.

A recent meta-analysis showed that high consumption of red and processed meat (e.g., cold cuts) is associated with an increased risk of breast cancer, while consumption of fish, poultry, and eggs is not associated with breast cancer.

People who frequently consume fish, and therefore omega-3 fatty acids, have a lower risk of developing breast cancer than people who consume small amounts of fish.

Increased fat consumption during menopause is associated with an increased risk of breast cancer, but it appears that it is increased consumption of saturated fats that increases the risk.

Common sources of saturated fats include meat and meat products, butter, cheese, cream, sweets, and many baked goods.

Although there are no clear conclusions about the relationship between high consumption of free sugars (sugar) and breast cancer, it appears that adhering to a diet rich in free sugars increases the risk of disease, possibly through weight gain and reduced diet quality.

Sources of free sugars include sugar (brown, white, unprocessed), honey, juices and beverages with sugar, soft drinks, as well as foods rich in added sugars such as sweets, cookies, and many breakfast cereals.

Which foods protect against breast cancer?;

Vegetables, foods containing carotenoids, and diets rich in calcium have a protective effect. Coffee also appears to reduce the risk of breast cancer!

Dairy products have a protective effect against breast cancer in premenopausal women. It is therefore a myth that consuming milk or dairy products increases the risk of cancer.

In fact, a meta-analysis showed that women who consumed more dairy products had a lower risk of breast cancer than women who consumed fewer dairy products, while milk consumption is not associated with cancer risk for amounts less than 2 glasses of milk per day.

High consumption of fiber, fruits, and vegetables reduces the risk of developing the disease. This may also be due to the fact that these foods are low in fat and high in antioxidants and carotenoids.

Finally, misunderstood soy appears to have a protective effect against breast cancer, as do soy isoflavones, which are found in tofu and other soy products.

Conclusion

Adhering to a healthy diet can be an ally in the prevention of breast cancer. In fact, research has identified the Mediterranean diet as a model diet, adherence to which can reduce the risk of several types of cancer, including breast cancer!

Specifically, greater adherence to the Mediterranean diet is associated with a 71% reduction in the incidence of the disease.

By Maria Mantzorou, dietitian-nutritionist