| Someone I know is battling breast cancer and if it | | | | hormone oestrogen - a trigger for breast cancer. Red |
| were up to me, I would not let anyone go through | | | | and fried meat may contribute to a rise in the |
| the same ordeal. She is a client, and a dear friend. | | | | incidence of breast cancer. Cut down your intake of |
| Every two minutes, a woman in the United States is | | | | pork, lamb, beef, sausages, hamburgers, meat pies, |
| diagnosed with breast cancer. The incidence has | | | | bacon, ham and processed canned meats. There is |
| climbed from one in 20 in 1960 to one in seven | | | | also consistent evidence that alcohol - even one drink |
| women today. It's a terrifying disease that turns | | | | a day - does lead to a small increase in risk although |
| everything upside down. In the United Kingdom, | | | | it's not known why. |
| breast cancer is the most common form of cancer | | | | If you would like to protect against breast cancer, |
| and affects more than 300,000 women each year. In | | | | consider soya, cereals, legumes and vegetables. |
| fact, England and Wales together have one of the | | | | These contain phytoestrogens, metabolically active |
| highest mortality rates from breast cancer in the | | | | compounds found in plants. These have a 'balancing' |
| world. Until recently, the role of diet in breast cancer | | | | effect on oestrogens produced naturally in the body. |
| was not fully understood. Today, it's much clearer | | | | Fruit and vegetables, especially those with deep |
| than ever that certain foods play a role in cancer | | | | colours such as red grapes and dark green leafs, are |
| formation or make a preexisting cancer worse. In | | | | a major source of antioxidants, which help fight all |
| fact, some scientists believe that one third of all | | | | cancers. |
| cancers occur as a result of diet. | | | | Additonal ways to fight cancer include maintaining a |
| There is a direct link between obesity (especially if | | | | healthy body weight, eating more fibre (e.g. |
| the fat is round the waist) and the risk of developing | | | | wholegrain cereals, pulses and wholegrain breakfast |
| breast cancer. Some authorities suggest that being | | | | cereals such as muesli and bran flakes), restricting |
| overweight only increases the risk of cancer for | | | | alchol to less than 2-3 units a day (one unit is |
| women who have been through menopause. Also, | | | | equivalent to one glass of wine, ½ pint of beer |
| the amount of fat in the diet influences levels of the | | | | or one pub measure of spirits. |