By David Blyweiss, M.D.

One in eight women will develop breast cancer during her lifetime. That’s a sobering statistic that leaves many of my women patients asking, “What can I do to lower my breast cancer risk?”

Yes, there are some factors you can’t control, such as being a woman and getting older — about two out of three women with invasive breast cancer are 55 or older when the cancer is found. However, there are steps you can try to improve your odds of avoiding this disease.

• Lose the extra pounds. Being overweight or obese raises your breast cancer risk after menopause. If you have a body mass index (BMI) of more than 25, you need to consider losing weight. Research has shown that women who gained 55 pounds or more after age 18 have an almost 50 percent greater risk of developing breast cancer than women who maintained their weight. What’s worse, overweight women who get breast cancer have a higher risk of dying from it than leaner women do.1
• Get moving. Regular exercise not only protects your heart, but may also play a role in breast cancer prevention.1 Women who exercise vigorously for 45 to 60 minutes five or more days a week reap the most breast cancer protection. Here’s why: Not only does being active help you maintain a healthy weight, regular exercise can keep estrogen and other hormone levels in check.

• Cut down on cocktails. There’s a clear connection between alcohol use and an elevated risk of breast cancer. If you are a regular drinker, do so only in moderation. For women, that means no more than one drink per day of any kind. Even drinking at that level slightly elevates risk. And research indicates that risk goes up with every drink. In 2007, the International Agency for Research on Cancer analyzed more than 40 epidemiological studies and found that the equivalent of just two drinks a day may boost risk by 21 percent.2
• Just say no to HRT. Lower hormone levels during menopause can lead to hot flashes, thin bones and vaginal dryness. To relieve these symptoms, women sometimes turn to hormone replacement therapy (HRT). While all forms of  pharmaceutical HRT can be risky, one type—a combination of synthetic estrogen and progesterone—appears to increase the risk of breast cancer and other diseases in some women, especially in those who use these hormones for several years.
• Cash in on cancer–cutting cruciferous vegetables. Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and kale contain a compound that targets breast cancer cells. Indole-3-carbinol is a sulfur-containing compound that creates a potent cancer fighter called diindolylmethane (DIM). DIM combats breast cancer by converting a cancer-promoting estrogen into a more protective variety.3 Studies also show that the compounds in indole-3-carbinol activate enzymes that, in turn, help the body detoxify the carcinogens. Because of these duel actions, Indole-3-carbinol can reduce breast cancer risk by 14 percent.

Adding these cruciferous vegetables to your diet can no doubt boost protection, but to ensure a steady supply of indole-3-carbinol, I suggest taking 300 to 400 mg of the nutrient in supplemental form each day.

Focusing on the risk factors you can control is a great breast cancer prevention strategy, but there are no guarantees in life. That’s why I encourage the women who come to see me to get a regular mammogram and a clinical breast exam yearly once they’ve celebrated their 40th birthday. While mammograms aren’t fullproof by any stretch of the immagination, they can catch some breast cancers in the early stages when they are most curable.

References:

1.Jokiel M. Breast cancer risk factors–possibilities of primary prevention. Przegl Epidemiol. 2010;64:435-438.

2. Breast and colorectoral cancers are associated with alcohol consumption, says IARC. International Agency for Research on Cancer. Press Release No. 175. March 28, 2007.

3. Sundar SN. Indole-3-carbinol selectively uncouples expression and activity of estrogen receptor subtypes in human breast cancer cells. Molecular Endocrinology. 2006;20:3070-3082.