As we commemorate Breast Cancer Awareness Day, it's crucial to shine a light on an often-overlooked aspect of women's health: the power of lifestyle choices in preventing breast cancer, especially during perimenopause and menopause.
Did you know that up to 30% of breast cancer cases could be prevented through lifestyle modifications?
This statistic is not just a number - it's a beacon of hope, and also a call to action for women everywhere!
The Hormone Connection 💜
For women in midlife, the risk of breast cancer takes on a new dimension.
A staggering 70-80% of breast cancers diagnosed in peri- and post-menopausal women are estrogen receptor-positive, meaning they're fueled by this hormone.
As our bodies navigate the complex hormonal shifts of menopause, we become more vulnerable to these types of cancers, mostly due to our fluctuating levels of estrogen:
sky-rocketing in some moments in the perimenopause (the estrogen dominance in the luteal phase - especially in the period when we start having rather often anovulatory hormonal cycles, a few years before the menopause), and
after the menopause (the 1-year anniversary of our last bleed), when the estrogen is very fluctuating - and when the weight (fat) gain can play the very mean role of over-producing not-needed, extra estrogen.
And here's the most empowering news: we're not helpless in the face of these statistics!!
The Weight Factor...
A sobering fact underscores the importance of maintaining a healthy weight: approximately 60% of women with breast cancer in peri- and post- menopause are either overweight or obese.
This excess weight significantly increases the amount of free-roaming estrogen in the body, which has an elevated risk of fueling hormone-dependent cancers.
This revelation highlights the critical role that weight management plays in breast cancer prevention - and it is a known, clear fact: we have power over this via our nutrition choices, fitness involvement and managing our stress levels with care - and, I would like to add a hint of …feminine wisdom.
We are not small men. And we have very particular needs for training and nutrition than men especially after 40yo, as well as we respond better to feminine choices to recharge and... reset.
A Lifestyle Revolution for Women 40+
Research shows that simple yet powerful lifestyle changes can significantly reduce our risk of developing breast cancer, so here's how you can take charge:
1. Nourish Your Body:
embrace a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains: these foods are packed with cancer-fighting nutrients and help maintain a healthy weight - key factor in breast cancer prevention
take care of your micro-nutritional deficiencies, hydrate well, watch out for your HDL (bad) cholesterol levels and be on top of your Omega 3 intake and ... clean, lean PROTEIN is your best friend (to lose fat, gain muscle and fight stress)
limit Alcohol: even moderate alcohol consumption has been linked with an increase in breast cancer risk - consider reducing your intake or even eliminating it altogether, if your instinct tells you so (... and please ignore all "social pressure" here!)
2. Exercise & Build Strength
Regular physical activity isn't just good for your waistline: it is a potent weapon against breast cancer, too - not to mention cardiovascular conditions and diabetes.
Aim for a minimum 150 minutes of moderate exercise weekly.
Please don't stop at cardio - strength training is particularly crucial for women in menopause transition. It helps maintain muscle mass, boosts metabolism, improves bone density, and can help regulate hormones.
Incorporate regular resistance exercises using weights, resistance bands, or body weight - even 10min a day COUNT!
Remember: building strength doesn't mean bulking up, it means creating a resilient, healthy, strong and also cancer-resistant body.
3. Recharge & Reset
Chronic stress disrupts our hormonal balance. Incorporate stress-reduction techniques, and experiment (read: track and see what works for you) with different meditation
techniques, deep breathing, walks, creative and stimulating activities, massage and self-massage, shakti time...etc. there's so much that you can try au-feminin :)
Track your sleep, experiment and take control: quality sleep is essential for hormonal balance - and it's not about how long you sleep, but about how well.
The Bigger Picture...
These lifestyle interventions do more than just reduce breast cancer risk - they contribute to increase your overall health and wellbeing. By adopting these habits, you're not only protecting yourself against cancer but also improving your quality of life and hormonal balance during the menopausal transition and… way beyond.
As we reflect on Breast Cancer Awareness Day, let's just shift our focus from awareness to action!
Every small change you make today can have a profound impact on your health tomorrow 💜
Please share this information with the women in your life - mothers, sisters, friends, and colleagues. Together, we can create a community of empowered women taking charge of their health.
Also, remember: while these lifestyle changes significantly reduce risk, they don't bring guarantees. Regular screenings and open communication with your healthcare provider remain crucial.
Checking your cherries 🍒 and early detection are important - but prevention could simply save your life!
Let's embrace this knowledge not with fear, ladies - but with ...determination.
We have the power to influence our health destiny.
This Breast Cancer Awareness Day, make a commitment to yourself: your future self will thank you!
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Estrogen does magnificent things for our female body, yet, after we use it, it has to be excreted effectively - we don't want the used one lingering and getting back into the system.
Estrogen Detox step-by-step KIT
(short extract from my soon-to-be-launched program FIT JOY Nutrition):
Keep well hydrated (see Part 2/2)
Keep your elimination pathways open, every day (see Part 2/3 and Part 6/7)
Eat cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, kale, cauliflower etc.), which contain DIM (diindolylmethane), a big time supporter of estrogen detoxification. If cruciferous are not your thing (many ladies report lots of flatulence after eating them), you may want to use a DIM supplement (200mg, 1 to 2 pills a day in function of the severity of your symptoms and body weight, with food, every day of your ovulation phase and in your mid-luteal phase if you're in perimenopause - track your cycle and body temperature for a minimum one full cycle before (...))
4. Other supplements that can support you if you did all the above and still have symptoms:
liposomal gluthatione, NAC (N-acetyl cysteine), resveratrol and quercetin.