October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and everywhere you look, pink ribbons serve as reminders of the millions of women and families affected by breast cancer.
Over the last several decades, billions of dollars have been raised and invested in breast cancer research, screening, and treatment. Progress has been made in some areas—yet breast cancer remains one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers among women.
So perhaps it's time to broaden the conversation.
Instead of focusing primarily on finding breast cancer once it has developed, shouldn't we also be talking much more about what women can do to help reduce their risk of developing it in the first place?
Awareness should include prevention
Breast Cancer Awareness Month began in 1985 through a partnership involving the American Cancer Society and the pharmaceutical division of Imperial Chemical Industries, which later became part of AstraZeneca.
From its early years, one of the campaign's major messages was encouraging women to receive mammograms and emphasizing the importance of early detection.
Early detection can certainly be valuable. But there's an important distinction that often gets lost in the sea of pink ribbons every October:
Detection is not prevention.
A mammogram is designed to look for breast cancer that may already be present. It cannot prevent breast cancer from developing.
And mammography, like any screening procedure, has limitations. False-positive results can occur, sometimes leading to additional imaging, biopsies and considerable anxiety. False-negative results are also possible. Mammography also uses low-dose ionizing radiation.
None of this means women should simply abandon breast cancer screening. Screening decisions are personal and should take into account age, family history, individual risk factors, and the benefits and limitations of the available methods.
But it does raise a worthwhile question:
Why isn't prevention an equally prominent part of the breast cancer conversation?
Research into diagnosis and treatment is important. At the same time, preventing disease whenever possible deserves serious attention too.
And this is one area where you may have more influence over your health than you realize.
You can't control every risk—but you can influence some of them
There is no way to completely guarantee that you will never develop breast cancer. Genetics, age, family history, and other factors outside your control can affect your risk.
But that doesn't mean prevention is out of your hands.
Research suggests that a substantial percentage of cancers are associated with potentially modifiable risk factors—including excess body weight, physical inactivity, alcohol consumption, smoking and dietary factors.
So rather than waiting until something goes wrong, let's look at some of the ways you can begin supporting your health right now.
Reduce stress and take care of yourself
Chronic stress takes a toll on the body and can affect everything from sleep and immune function to the everyday behaviors that help keep us healthy.
That's why finding healthy ways to manage stress should be part of your overall wellness strategy.
Regular exercise is one of the best places to start. Not only can physical activity help relieve stress, but maintaining a healthy weight and staying physically active are also associated with a lower risk of breast cancer.
Other stress-relieving strategies might include counseling, meditation, acupuncture, prayer, spending time outdoors, taking up a hobby, or even adopting a pet if you're an animal lover.
I can personally vouch for that last one. Even on my toughest days, it always makes me feel better to snuggle with my cats.
Get ultraprocessed foods off your plate
If there's one dietary change that can benefit nearly every area of your health, cutting back on ultraprocessed foods is an excellent place to begin.
These foods tend to be heavily manufactured and packed with refined carbohydrates, added sugars, unhealthy fats, sodium and various additives, while offering relatively little of the fiber, vitamins, minerals and protective plant compounds found in whole foods.
And the research surrounding them is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.
Higher consumption of ultraprocessed foods has been associated with increased risks of developing certain cancers as well as increased cancer mortality. Research has also found associations between high ultraprocessed-food intake and colorectal cancer in men, while other studies have raised concerns about cancer mortality, including breast cancer mortality.
Ultraprocessed foods can also work against metabolic health, contribute to excess weight and insulin resistance, and displace the nutrient-dense foods your body needs to function at its best.
They aren't doing your gut microbiome any favors either.
Your intestinal tract and the trillions of microorganisms living there interact extensively with your immune system. Feeding that ecosystem a varied, nutrient-rich diet containing vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains, meats, and other whole foods helps support both microbial diversity and overall health.
In other words, instead of obsessing over a single "cancer-fighting" food, concentrate on creating an internal environment that supports health every day.
Keep chronic inflammation in check
Inflammation is an essential part of the body's natural healing and immune response. But persistent, chronic inflammation is associated with numerous diseases, including cardiovascular disease and cancer.
Fortunately, many of the same habits that support overall health can also help promote a healthy inflammatory response.
Start with your diet.
Make real food the foundation of your meals. Eat plenty of colorful vegetables and fruits. Choose healthy fats and high quality protein sources. Drink pure filtered water throughout the day, keep alcohol moderate—or avoid it altogether—and make soda and other sugary drinks occasional rather than everyday choices.
And don't overlook herbs and spices.
One of my favorites is turmeric.
Take advantage of turmeric
Turmeric has been used for centuries, and modern researchers have taken particular interest in curcumin, one of its best-known naturally occurring compounds.
Curcumin has been extensively studied for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Research has explored its potential role in supporting joint comfort, metabolic health and a healthy inflammatory response, among other areas.
As part of an overall wellness strategy, turmeric can be a valuable addition to a health-supportive lifestyle.
That's why our Optimal Turmeric Blend provides 750 mg of pure turmeric along with black pepper extract.
It's one more way to give your body nutritional support while working toward healthier inflammatory balance.
What about thermography?
Women who are interested in learning more about their breast health may also want to look into thermography.
Unlike mammography, thermography is completely non-invasive and does not expose the breasts to ionizing radiation or compression.
Instead, thermal imaging uses an infrared camera to measure patterns of heat emitted from the surface of the body. These temperature patterns can reflect differences in blood flow and physiological activity, including patterns over time that may warrant further investigation.
Women interested in thermography can explore whether it may provide useful information as part of an individualized approach to breast health.
Whatever screening approach you choose, educate yourself. Understand your personal risk factors. Ask questions about the benefits and limitations of different screening tools, and make informed decisions rather than assuming there is only one conversation worth having.
Make prevention part of breast cancer awareness
Pink ribbons have done the work in making breast cancer impossible to ignore.
But awareness should mean more than simply knowing that breast cancer exists, or remembering to schedule a screening.
It should also mean asking what we can do before disease develops.
Our healthcare system devotes enormous resources to diagnosing and treating disease. Pharmaceutical treatments, medical procedures and screening technologies are major industries, and there are powerful financial incentives throughout a system built largely around caring for people once they become sick.
That doesn't make those treatments or technologies inherently bad. Many save lives.
But it does make prevention an important part of the conversation—and one that deserves far more attention.
Because when you improve your diet, maintain a healthy weight, exercise regularly, limit alcohol, stop smoking, manage stress, support metabolic health and nourish your body with the nutrients it needs, you aren't waiting for someone else to protect your health.
You're actively participating in it.
We may never see a world in which every case of breast cancer can be prevented. But if there are meaningful steps we can take to reduce our risk, shouldn't those steps receive just as much attention as finding the disease after it has already begun?
This Breast Cancer Awareness Month, don't just think pink.
Think prevention, too.
To your health,
Sherry Brescia
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