Key Takeaways
- Lifestyle choices, such as diet and exercise, can influence breast cancer risk. Maintaining a moderate weight and engaging in regular physical activity are beneficial.
- A balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, while limiting processed foods, sugary drinks, and alcohol, can help reduce breast cancer risk.
- Mindful eating and careful review of food labels are also important.
Breast cancer risk is the result of various factors. The two factors with the biggest impact on your risk of developing breast cancer include being female and older than age 50 years.
Certain lifestyle choices may affect your breast cancer risk. But some strategies may help reduce your risk.
And if you’ve had breast cancer, these lifestyle choices may also help reduce the risk of a recurrence.
Language matters
You’ll notice that the language used to share stats and other data points is pretty binary, fluctuating between the use of “male” and “female” or “men” and “women.”
Although we typically avoid language like this, specificity is key when reporting on research participants and clinical findings.
The studies and surveys referenced in this article didn’t report data on, or include, participants who were transgender, nonbinary, gender nonconforming, genderqueer, agender, or genderless.
Diets lacking a proper amount of fruits and vegetables and involving excess consumption of ultra-processed foods, such as sweetened beverages, fried foods, and packaged sweets, are likely risk factors for breast cancer.
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When it comes to reducing cancer risk in general, it’s more about your dietary pattern and whether it’s balanced than individual nutrients.
A balanced diet also supports a moderate weight, and excess body weight or obesity are clearly linked to an increased risk of cancer, including breast cancer,
However, following a balanced diet isn’t the only way to lower your risk of cancer and maintain a moderate weight, nor should it be. You should also try to spend more time being active than sedentary.
Below, we provide tips to help you achieve a moderate weight with diet and exercise.
Tips for achieving a moderate weight with diet
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Here are multiple tips for healthful eating, which, in turn, help support a moderate weight:
- Eat mindfully: Try to take a little less than you think you’ll eat. Eat slowly, so you’ll recognize when you’re starting to get full before getting the chance to overeat. Put your fork or spoon down between bites. Stop eating when you’re about 80% full, since it takes 20 to 30 minutes to digest.
- Review food labels carefully: “Low fat” doesn’t necessarily mean healthy or low calorie. Avoid ultra-processed foods that are high in calories but offer little or no nutritional value.
- Eat veggies and fruits: Aim for 2 1/2 cups of both fruits and veggies a day. Fresh and frozen are best.
- Eat whole grains: Choose whole grain foods over those made with refined grains.
- Eat healthy proteins: Opt for beans, chicken, or fish in place of processed and red meats.
- Eat healthy fats: Look for polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats (“healthy” fats) and try to avoid saturated and trans fats.
- Limit or avoid alcohol: The
ACS recommends that women consume no more than one drink per day and men consume no more than two. Research has tied moderate consumption of alcohol with a 30% to 50% increased risk of breast cancer. - Limit or avoid sugar-sweetened drinks: Replace high calorie, sweetened drinks with water.
- Set realistic goals: Remember to take weight changes slowly. Crash diets can be unhealthy and unsustainable. For some people, keeping a food journal may be helpful.
Tips for achieving a moderate weight with exercise
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Moderate exercise is any activity that you can talk during but not quite sing, such as brisk walking. Vigorous exercise is more intense than moderate exercise, so you should not be able to talk or sing during it.
It’s OK if you can’t quite reach these recommendations. You can try setting them as goals to work toward over time. If you choose activities you enjoy, you may be more likely to achieve them.
Small changes throughout the day can also help you get more movement. For example, you may park a little further away or use stairs instead of the elevator.
Try to introduce movement during long periods of inactivity. If you spend your day sitting, take a few minutes every hour to get up and stretch or incorporate standing into your routine, if you can.
Some other lifestyle risk factors, besides a low quality diet and low levels of physical activity, may be related to breast cancer risk,
- Birth control: Taking birth control pills may increase your risk of breast cancer.
- Not having children: Though not everyone can or will have children, not having children before age 30 years or not having any children may increase your risk of breast cancer.
- Not chestfeeding: Not everyone will choose to or can chestfeed. But research suggests that this may offer some protection against breast cancer.
- Menopausal hormone therapy (MHT): Though MHT may not be as strongly associated with breast cancer as once thought, the formulation, dosage, and individual health factors may determine whether the benefits of this therapy outweigh the risks.
- Smoking cigarettes: If you need help quitting, speak with a doctor about smoking cessation options.
Diets high in trans and saturated fat and low in nutrient-dense foods are linked to an increased risk of breast cancer. Following a balanced diet may help reduce your cancer risk in general.
A balanced diet is one way to support a moderate weight, and you also should aim to be more active. Together, these may help reduce your risk of breast and other cancers.
Discuss breast cancer screening options with a doctor or oncologist, especially if you have known risk factors. A doctor can advise you on the best ways to maintain your health and reduce your risk.