Let’s take Breast Cancer Awareness Month seriously

Most of us have seen lots of pink ribbons throughout the month, but likely haven’t paused to think about what they really mean. So let’s take Breast Cancer Awareness Month seriously:¹

• Roughly 321,910 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in women this year.
• And around 42,140 women will die from breast cancer this year. It is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in women.
• 1 in 8 women will develop breast cancer in her lifetime.
• Overall breast cancer incidence is rising about 1% a year, with diagnosis in younger women increasing.

The numbers are sobering, and while we can’t control who receives a diagnosis, we can embrace lifestyle inputs that may offer our bodies a certain amount of protection.

This is linked to 59% lower breast cancer odds: Women eating the greatest variety of whole foods had a significantly lower likelihood of breast cancer than those eating the least variety. Different fruits and vegetables, whole grains, proteins, and dairy all count towards your dietary diversity.

6 lifestyle habits linked to 28% of breast cancer cases: What we do daily adds up, and one analysis of 23 years of data across 204 countries found that 28% of breast cancer cases are linked to 6 modifiable risk factors, which involve diet, smoking, body composition, and exercise.

920 chemicals were just linked to breast cancer risk: We can’t avoid every single toxin lurking out there, but the chemicals we’re exposed to in personal care products, food packaging, and cleaning products can contribute to breast cancer risk, and we do have some control over reducing them.