5 Simple Ways To Reduce Your Breast Cancer Risk

It is still the most common cancer among Singaporean women – and the deadliest. This World Cancer Day (Feb 4), protect yourself with the best and very latest advice.

- Mirel Ketchiff

Over the past 40 years, the incidence of breast cancer in Singapore has more than doubled – from 25 to 65 per 100,000 women. The good news is that, when detected in the early stages, there is a high chance of survival. And like many things, prevention is better than cure. Here’s the best and latest advice for protecting yourself.

Eat (the right) dairy

Women who regularly consume yogurt have a 39 per cent lower risk of breast cancer, according to new findings from Roswell Park Cancer Institute. But those who eat more hard cheeses, including American and cheddar, have a 53 per cent higher risk of breast cancer. “Yogurt might modify levels of gut bacteria that help protect against cancer development,”says lead researcher and dietitian Susan McCann. “Cheese, on the other hand, is high in fat, and some studies have found a connection between breast cancer and higher fat intake,” she says. “Or perhaps women who eat more cheese have less healthy diets overall.”

More research needs to be done before experts can make any blanket recommendations, though, says Dr Jennifer Litton, an associate professor of breast medical oncology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. But it makes sense to eat yogurt and watch your cheese intake. In the study, having three or four servings of yogurt a week was linked to a drop in breast cancer risk, whereas eating more than that amount of cheese raised the odds.

HIIT it twice a week