Diet can improve breast cancer outcome

Nuts are a nutritional powerhouse for anyone. But for women diagnosed with breast cancer, they offer a special benefit.

A steady intake of tree nuts and peanuts increases long-term and disease-free survival.

That’s according to a study published in the International Journal of Cancer that looked at the nut intake of around 3,500 women for 10 years after their diagnosis with breast cancer.

Women who regularly ate nuts saw a 94.1 percent survival rate, while those who ate no nuts had an

86.2 percent survival rate.

Bonus: A study out of Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital shows that over the course of 13 years, sticking with a diabetes risk-reduction diet also slashes the risk of dying from breast cancer — by 13 percent. The diet? Increased intake of nuts, cereal fiber, coffee, whole fruits and polyunsaturated fats; and lower (we say, ZERO) intakes of trans fat, red meat and sugar-sweetened beverages and fruit juices.

Are you a sheet cheat?

Khloe Kardashian says she changes her bedsheets every two days — making her downright un-american. A survey of 1,000 of folks revealed that, on average, people change their sheets every 24 days — single guys only do it every 37 days, while married couples make the switch every 20.

Turns out, it’s a good idea to be more Khloe than casual if you want to tamp down allergies or avoid itchy, red skin patches. And if you sleep with your pet — 78 percent of pet owners do — it’s extra important to change your sheets regularly. Around 20 million Americans have a dust mite allergy. Even more serious, this “allergy” can make heart disease, cancer and dementia more likely due to the inflammation it causes.

Dust mites thrive on the millions of skin cells we shed every night. And those little guys’ (they are about 1/100 of an inch in length) droppings can trigger serious respiratory symptoms.

Add in pet hair and dander, and the problem multiplies. And if your pet happens to have a transmittable infection or infestation, that can become your problem, too.

Plus, skin-irritating bacteria can grow on sheets if you sweat in your sleep or drool on your pillow. So change your sheets and pillowcases every week (more often if you drool or super-sweat); wash blankets every month or two; mattress pads every three months; and bed skirts twice a year. You’ll sleep better and wake up more refreshed.