Reduce Your Breast Cancer Risk by Changing What You Drink

There's been a lot of publicity lately about reducing your breast cancer risk by eating a diet low in fat and high in fruits and vegetables. Less attention has been focused on another factor that may reduce your breast cancer risk, changing what you drink each day. Yes, more evidence is showing that what you drink on a daily basis can play a role in the development of certain types of cancer including breast cancer. Here are some tips for breast cancer risk reduction by changing what you drink:

Reduce or eliminate your alcohol intake.

Although some studies have shown that an alcoholic drink or two a day may reduce your risk of heart disease, evidence is accumulating that alcohol has a negative impact on your risk of breast cancer. A study carried out by the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle showed that as little as two alcoholic drinks per increased the risk of breast cancer by 80%. Another study performed by the American Cancer society showed that only one drink a day increased breast cancer risk by 30% compared to women who didn't drink at all. If you're serious about reducing your breast cancer risk, eliminate alcohol from your diet entirely.

Drink green tea on a daily basis.

Studies have shown that the polyphenols found in green tea may be potent inhibitors of breast tumors. In studies where rats had their water replaced with green tea, researchers found that the rats that drank green tea on a daily basis were slower to develop breast tumors and the ones they did develop were smaller in size. To get the breast cancer protective effects of green tea, you would need to drink at least four glasses per day. Since this may be a problem if you can't tolerate caffeine, consider investing in a green tea supplement available in pill form. It seems to have similar properties to the actual green tea drink.

Filter your water.

Drinking green tea on a daily basis may help to reduce the risk of breast cancer.

Credit: SXC

Copyright: SXC