Prevent A Breast Cancer Recurrence Naturally

If I had a dollar for each time I was asked, “How can I prevent a breast cancer recurrence naturally?” I could’ve been a millionaire by now. The answer lies no further than your grocer’s produce section and your gym shoes: high amounts of vegetables and fruit, and moderate physical activity and exercise every day.

PREVENT TODAY. THRIVE TOMORROW.

This is our motto at The Cancer Detox. Our goal is to bring science-backed cancer prevention that is heart-centered to everyone we work with.

Click here to download our FREE eBook “8 Prevention Facts for Breast Cancer Survivors” which includes 8 facts on how to prevent a breast cancer recurrence naturally using a breast cancer diet and lifestyle that lowers the risk of a recurrence. It also includes 3-days of healthy, plant-based recipes.

INTRODUCTION

With an ever-growing number of breast cancer cases in the United States (approximately 297,000 per year), breast cancer is now the most frequently diagnosed cancer [1]. There are well over 4 million breast cancer survivors in the U.S., which includes those actively being treated and those who have ended treatment [2].  The focus of the healthcare system now is on helping breast cancer survivors thrive after treatment has ended. That includes how to prevent a breast cancer recurrence naturally.

 

Many of our breast cancer survivor clients come to us to create a health transformation after their diagnosis. Whether they want to become plant-based or more physically active, they use our health coaching service to make lasting changes. And we always tell them the things that breast cancer hates, which is vegetables. Vegetables are the one food group that can help you prevent a breast cancer recurrence naturally (as you’ll see below). 

 

However, vegetables cannot be the only thing breast cancer survivors rely on to prevent a breast cancer recurrenc because a holistic game plan should encompass multiple healthy habits. The two main habits I want breast cancer survivors to consider are eating vegetables and fruits, as well as exercising to help them prevent a breast cancer recurrence naturally, because the science convincingly shows they have a lower risk of a second breast cancer diagnosis.

 

However, these two habits are some of the hardest things for survivors to accomplish consistently. Only half of breast cancer survivors report getting at least 9 metabolic equivalent tasks (MET) -h/week, which equals 30 min of walking daily. And when it comes to healthy eating, again, only half of survivors say they eat at least 5 daily servings of vegetables and fruits [3].

RESEARCH ON BREAST CANCER DIET AND SELF-CARE ACTIVITIES

So, when researchers asked 1490 women, with an average age of 50 years, diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer to enter a study looking at how the combination of vegetables, fruits, and exercise affected their risk of death after having survived an initial breast cancer diagnosis, the results provided some guidance on what women should do to prevent a breast cancer recurrence naturally.

Here are some of the characteristics of the women diagnosed with breast cancer who entered this trial:

• 40% were stage I
• 45% were stage II
• 15% were stage III
• The majority were taking tamoxifen
• All were cancer-free, as determined by an oncologist
• The women were within 4 years of diagnosis, with an average time from diagnosis to the study analysis being 8.7 years

The women were asked to provide the amount of vegetables and fruits (V-F) they ate over several weeks. In this analysis, the researchers decided to exclude V-F with low nutritional value: iceberg lettuce, white potatoes, and low-nutrition fruit juices. They also recorded their level of physical activity (PA), with 3 METs considered mild, 5 METs moderate, and 8 METs vigorous.

5 SERVINGS OF VEGETABLES & FRUITS, PLUS DAILY VIGOROUS WALKING, INCREASES LONG-TERM SURVIVAL RATES

The researchers found that women with high daily V-F intake who also had high PA had a 10-year survival rate of 93%. The 10-year survival rate was lower, 86% and 87%, for women who 1) ate low V-F a day and did high PA a day, or 2) ate high V-F and did low PA a day, respectively [3].

Eating a high amount of V-F daily and doing high PA every day reduced the mortality rate in women who were normal weight AND obese. This is a significant finding!

Science has shown that women who are obese have an increased risk of both new and recurring breast cancer diagnoses [3].

When the researchers teased out the results on the effects of eating just V-F and its effect on the risk of death, they found that the more vegetables the women ate, the lower the mortality rate. Women who ate less than 3.43 servings of fruits and vegetables daily had the highest mortality rate of 12.4%. The more V-F women ate, the more decline the researchers saw in the mortality rates. This effect was seen up to eating 5 servings a day of V-F.

The researchers also looked at breast cancer receptor status (e.g., estrogen receptor status) and whether daily eating of high amounts of V-F and having high PA daily affected survivorship in comparison to women who ate a low amount of V-F and did low daily PA. They found the following:

• Estrogen receptor-positive/Progesterone receptor-positive: Women with high V-F and PA had significantly increased survival rates compared to women with low V-F intake and PA
• Estrogen receptor-positive/Progesterone receptor-negative: Significant increase in survivorship for women with high V-F and PA
• Estrogen receptor-negative/Progesterone receptor-positive: Borderline significant increase in survivorship for women with high V-F and PA
• Estrogen receptor-negative/Progesterone receptor-negative: No significant increase in survivorship, though there was a numerical increase in survivorship for women in the high V-F and PA group (~10%) compared to women in the low V-F and PA group (~13%).

CONCLUSION

If you are a breast cancer survivor, talk to your healthcare provider if increasing your fruit and vegetable intake or physical activity is right for you. And thank you for taking the time to read “Prevent a Breast Cancer Recurrence Naturally.” For more information on how to get in contact with Dr. Dee Grace, see below.

WATCH THE FREE WEBINAR EVENT

There is a growing number of young people under the age of 50 being diagnosed with various types of cancer. For women in this age group, a cancer diagnosis can be financially toxic and cause upheaval in their families.

Cancer prevention for women 50 and under is a top priority and we’ve identified the silent enemy that is driving up cancer rates in this group. Watch the FREE webinar now.

 

BUY THE CANCER PREVENTION BOOK

Dr. Grace’s latest book on Cancer Prevention: The Diet and Lifestyle Habits That Cancer Hates. Available on Amazon.

 

 

GET IN TOUCH WITH DR. DEE GRACE!

Email: hello@thecancerdetox.com

Phone: 678-310-8101

Text: (737) 214-6439

Complimentary Meeting: Schedule a complimentary call with me here. Want to know what to eat to prevent a new or recurring cancer diagnosis? Recently diagnosed with cancer and need a list of questions to ask your doctor? Contact me today.

 

IMPORTANT ARTICLES

• Get info on cancer-fighting diets and cancer prevention:
  • Prostate cancer diet here and here
  • Breast cancer diet here, here, and here
  • Colon cancer diet here, and here
• Download the FREE eBook on 7 Tips to Conquer and Prevent Cancer Naturally, which is our short list of what to eat for cancer prevention and 3 days of plant-based recipes.

Here’s To Your Best Health!

Dee Grace, PhD

Hi! I am Dee Grace Ph.D., Scientist and Health Coach at The Cancer Detox. My career in cancer research has allowed me to work with doctors to find new treatments for this disease.  I brought my scientific knowledge to The Cancer Detox to help patients get better care from their doctors during their cancer treatment process, so the focus is on improving their survival outcomes and reducing the financial burden caused by cancer treatment. If you are a cancer patient Schedule a complimentary call (click here) with me now to discuss how to reduce your financial burden and get questions every patient needs to ask their doctor (schedule soon! spots fill up quickly because I am busy researching and helping clients).

I also help people adopt a “prevention first!” mindset. Why? Because, so you don’t have to experience the long-lasting financial setbacks a cancer diagnosis causes. My new book “Cancer Prevention: Diet and Lifestyle Factors that Reduce Your Risk” focuses on cancer fighting foods and how to adopt a cancer fighting diet. Sign up for my early bird NEW BOOK list and get 50% of the book price plus my newest guide on the health benefits of Spirulina for weight loss, heart health, skin care, and eye health.

REFERENCES

[1] SEER Database: Cancer Stat Facts – Female Breast Cancer https://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/breast.html.

[2] American Cancer Society: Key Statistics for Breast Cancer https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/breast-cancer/about/how-common-is-breast-cancer.html#:~:text=At%20this%20time%20there%20are,those%20who%20have%20completed%20treatment.)

[3] Pierce JP et al. Greater survival after breast cancer in physically active women with high vegetable-fruit intake regardless of obesity. J Clin Oncol. 2007;10:2345-2351