At Least Two Thirds of Breast Cancer Cases are Likely Avoidable
Posted by Dr. Mercola | April 13 2010 | 55,809 views
Up to a third of breast cancer cases in Western countries could be avoided if women ate less and exercised more, researchers at a breast cancer conference said.
Experts said the focus should shift to changing behaviors like diet and physical activity.
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women. A woman’s lifetime chance of getting breast cancer is about one in eight. Obese women are up to 60 percent more likely to develop any cancer than normal-weight women.
Many breast cancers are fueled by estrogen, a hormone produced in fat tissue. So experts suspect that the fatter a woman is, the more estrogen she’s likely to produce, which could in turn spark breast cancer. Even in slim women, exercise can help reduce the cancer risk by converting more of the body’s fat into muscle.
Sources:
7th European Breast Cancer Conference March 24-27, 2010, Barcelona, Spain
Chances are you or someone you know has provided TMI by way of Facebook’s 25 Random Facts About Me. Given that most people don’t actually know every one of their Facebook “friends,” it’s pretty amazing what people will share. Facts like “sometimes my pee smells like Cheerios.” Really???? Thanks for that. Cheerios used to be a part of my healthy breakfast.
Maybe the people who started this chain letter of over-sharing are on to something. Over 5 million posts went up in ONE week! In that spirit, I’ve come up with my own list. 25 things you should know. Hopefully, this one will be informative (but not too informative) and it won’t get you fired or divorced.
1. A kick-ass iPod mix makes exercising a lot more fun. This one was voted on by 1000 readers of Self Magazine. This one is totally awesome too!
2. You can make happy hour healthier by adding anti-oxidant rich fresh fruit or fruit juice to your cocktail. And limiting your intake to two. Better for your health and it will prevent you from over sharing. Or kissing that married guy in the next cubicle. Again.
3. According to the American Journal of Public Health, woman who are happy with their appearance regardless of their weight, are sick 30% less often than those pining away for an unrealistically skinny body. Focus on how you feel, not how you look. Looking like a celebrity is a full time job. So unless you can quit your’s and pay some guy in spandex to tell you what to do all day, it’s time to surrender the fantasy.
4. A dog is a great motivator. A puppy will not let you be lazy. You will walk every day. Walking is a great way to start exercising. And you’ll walk. A lot. Whether you want to or not. And sometimes at night. In the middle of the night. Anyway, you won’t be lazy. Ever.
5. Looking up at a television while running on a treadmill shifts your weight making it harder to run. Load up an iPod with kick ass tunes instead. Listening to music while running can help distract you from how tired you are. Most people exercise 15% longer when they are listening to music.
6. Tanning and tanning beds can cause skin cancer, but the Journal Cancer found that aesthetic issues were scarier for most people. Fear of wrinkles and brown spots reduce tanning bed use by about 35%. Kind of troubling that people are more worried about their looks than the big C. Whatever works I guess. Embrace your pale already people! Orange isn’t pretty.
7. Your running shoes need to be replaced every 350-500 miles. Treat yourself to a new pair.
8. Not enjoying your workout? Try something new. Biking is a great workout. Need a bike? Visit Kona Africa Bikes. For every 2 bikes sold, one is donated to a health care worker in Africa. It will be used to carry supplies to HIV/AIDS patients.
9. You can join FitFiend.com for free. Post questions, browse products and network with other people who are talking about fitness. Finally, you can use your computer for something other than stalking your ex.
10. Pressed for time? Try Crossfit. It takes less than 20 minutes. Your workout is their warmup… not for the faint of heart.
11. Remember how your mother always told you to sit still and quit fidgeting? Well, you probably didn’t listen to her then and you shouldn’t now. A study by the Mayo Clinic found that lean people spent up to two hours a day fidgeting…. you can burn up to 350 calories a day with that shaky foot that is driving everyone around you nuts.
12. Sun exposure and lack of antioxidants can contribute to macular degeneration. Up your intake of antioxidant rich foods like leafy greens, pomegranates and oranges.
13. Kissing is good for you! Who knew? It can help prevent tooth decay and aging and even burns some calories. Now maybe overdoing #2 won’t be all bad.
14. You should be eating several times a day. An apple, yogurt… something small & healthy. Not only will it keep you from becoming so hungry that you pig out at dinner, but it also keeps your metabolism at a higher rate.
15. You probably know that organic produce is healthier for you and the planet, but maybe you can’t always afford the higher prices. A good rule of thumb if you want to save money is to skip organic for anything that you peel like an orange or banana. Organic is much more important for things like greens or apples.
16. Eating just 20 almonds a day may cut the risk of lung cancer by 53%, in both smokers and nonsmokers. How easy is that?
17. Catechins, an antioxidant found in tea, may help increase fat burn. Green and white tea contain the most. Another reason to give up that $6 drink from Starbucks that has more calories than you need in a whole day. Mocha-chocha-latte-no-no :(
18. One of the best ways to increase your metabolism is by working your lower body. Your legs and butt have a big muscle mass and working this mass increases energy, raising your metabolism post-workout. So, stop saving for that butt implant and get moving!
19. Want to get in shape and do a good deed? Sign up for the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer today. Money raised goes to the uninsured and under-insured for screenings and treatment. It also helps fund research.
20. Marijuana is being used to treat anxiety. Sounds a lot better than the multitude of side effects that come along with pharmaceutical “cures.” Of course, I’m not encouraging you to do anything illegal ;)
21. Your body is made up of 60 to 70% water. Water helps regulate your body temperature, transports oxygen throughout your body, removes waste and cushions your joints. To get an idea how much you should be drinking, divide your body weight in half. That number is the number of ounces you should be consuming. Add 8 more ounces for every 20 minutes of activity. And if you drink alcohol, drink at least the same amount of water. And, no, the ice in your cocktail doesn’t count.
22. Do you keep telling yourself, “I’ll start that new workout program soon” or “I’ll start eating better next week?” You could have “Someday Syndrome.” The name is a little silly, but the tips for getting past it are clever and totally doable.
23. One of the best things you can do for yourself at work is to bring your own lunch. Sandwiches and salads (dressing on the side) travel pretty well. And you can avoid the mid-day drive through run and the late afternoon vending machine assault.
24. Soda is terrible for you. Even diet soda. I’ll have the double bacon cheese burger, large fry and diet soda. C’mon, who are you kidding? You should be drinking water, but if that isn’t strong enough for you, here are some healthier alternatives.
25. Sometimes it’s important to give yourself a break. Don’t push too hard. Which is what I’m doing with this lame excuse for a 25th Random Thing.
My friend sent me this link about the 20 worst foods in 2009. I’ve always been amazed at these column’s in Men’s Health magazine and it’s certainly kept me away from a few restaurants.
It’s hard to believe that a sandwich or an individual pizza can contain more than your recommended daily intake of calories. I’m sure that seeing the calorie count on some of those foods has given people pause before ordering.
Most of this information is fairly obvious. The bad options are always fast food (no secrets there) or one notch above, places like Chili’s, Macaroni Grill and TGI Fridays. These restaurants use the cheapest food available, so they have to drown it in lard, salt and sugar to disguise its quality (Macaroni Grill’s fried ravioli dessert at 1630 calories and 74 grams of fat being a great example of pulling out all the stops) yikes. Even if your only clue was the size of the plates they use, you could assume these meals = gut bomb.
Great examples of why American’s are some of the fattest people in the world:
One order of Tam’s Noodles at PF Chang’s has as much fat as 42 Krispy Kreme donuts.
TGI Friday’s pecan chicken salad at 1390 calories! This is supposed to be the healthy choice.
Worst burger award goes to Chili’s Smokehouse bacon cheese burger, with a mere 2,040 calories and 150 grams of fat.
Ahhh, what will be on next years list? No doubt it will be a shuffle of the same restaurant chains, all competing for worst place prize.
Have you also noticed that the ‘Eat That’ instead recommendations are usually just smaller versions of the same crappy, processed food? Maybe some year they’ll come out with a list of truly good recommendations. How about something fresh? organic maybe? Home cooked meal? Just sayin’
You can go with this…………………………………….. or you can go with that.
Diet soda has been shown in several studies to increase your odds of being overweight. One study claims that for every can of diet soda you drink per day, you’re 41% more likely to be overweight. Holy crap. There are a couple predominate theories as to why this happens; our bodies get tricked into craving more sugar because it senses sweet but there are no calories, making us consume more calories in the long run. The other is that people eat more because they think they’re saving so many calories in their beverage, that they pay less attention to what they’re eating.
In one study, rats were fed yogurt with artificial sweeteners and real sugar. Guess what.. the rats who ate the yogurt with artificial sweeteners ate for longer and got fatter. What a dirty trick! All those poor souls who have been suffering through the taste of diet soda, only to find out that it really makes them fatter. Damn!
I was at the grocery store last week and saw a naturally sweetened diet soda called Zevia . It caught my attention because it was being marketed as the ”natural alternative” to diet soda. It’s sweetened with Stevia, an herb grown in South America that has been used for centuries, the Zevia website even claims that recent studies have found that it has antioxidant properties. Interesting…any reviews out there?
We could always stick to the tried and true drinks. Here’s some good alternatives to diet soda that have no calories and will not make you fatter for the drinking…….water, water, water, tea and coffee.
Americans are some of the fattest people in the world. WHY? It’s about what we’re eating, not how much!
The answer to why is fairly simple. Asia and Northern Europe are the fittest places in the world, with an overweight population of of less than 10%. In those areas, the people tend to eat whole foods (unprocessed) and live an active lifestyle. Big theory, I know; diet and exercise are the key. Well, If the answer’s so simple why can’t we (Americans) get it right?
Besides driving everywhere, one of America’s biggest problems is fast food and processed foods (those with high fructose corn syrup, trans fats, fillers, preservatives, all the other ingredients you can’t pronounce on that label). If you’re not paying attention, you’re probably eating this stuff everyday. It’s lurking in your chips, crackers, sauces, breads, cheeses and just about anything else you’re eating with more than three or four ingredients. In Michael Pollen book, ‘Omnivore’s Dilemma’ , he claims that there’s now 30,000 food products in the grocery store that contain high fructose corn syrup!
I think if we got a little more active and ate more natural foods, we could be as fit as any country. That means eating more whole foods (organic fruits & vegetables, sustainably raised meat, nuts, seeds, you know…foods found in nature!) , drinking more water and tea and moving some each day! Right now 64% of American are overweight or obese and a new study shows that if current trends continue 86% of Americans will be obese by 2030.
Americans keep importing cheap, plastic crap…maybe it’s time we imported some of the world’s lifestyle habits too.
