Extra-easy ways to protect your breasts!
Welcome news: Our risk of breast cancer has been steadily dropping for more than a decade! And now the latest research has uncovered some super-simple ways to boost your protection even more:
Cut your risk with coleslaw!
Eating raw or lightly cooked cabbage three times a week can slash your breast cancer risk 72%, a Michigan State University study found. ”Cabbage contains glucosinolates, which break down in the body to detoxify some substances that cause cancer, block cell proliferation and program the death of damaged cells,” says study author Dorothy R. Pathak, PH.D. Don’t like cabbage? Related cancer-fighting veggies include broccoli, Brussels sprouts and collard greens.
Minimize inflammation by donning a sleep mask!
Exposure to any type of light while you sleep— whether it’s from indoor lamps, street lights or the glow of an electronic device—“disrupts your production of melatonin, an anti-inflammatory hormone that helps guard against breast cancer,” says University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute oncologist Colin E. Champ, M.D. The quick and costhappy solution? A good sleep mask! Wearing one (such as the Jersey Slumber 100% Silk Sleep Mask, $8.95, Amazon.com) makes it easier to get plenty of the sound sleep needed to lower your breast cancer risk 31%.
Up protection with produce!
A new multi-university study of 92,000 women found that foods high in calories but low in nutrients, such as potato chips and sugary sodas, can raise the risk of obesity-related breast cancer 10% in postmenopausal women — even if they’re not overweight! By contrast, research in the Inter
national Journal of Cancer shows that eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, along with fish and beans, cuts breast cancer risk 40%.
Stand up to rev defenses!
Sitting six or more hours a day can increase the risk of breast cancer 10%, the latest research shows. “Protect yourself by getting out of your chair and moving around every 30 minutes,” advises Keith Diaz, PH.D., of Columbia University Medical Center.