One Way to Prevent Colon Cancer

Colon cancer is the 3rd most common form of disease for women in the United States (skin and lung cancer being the 1st and 2nd). A study from the University of Minnesota found that "women whose diets were richest in red meat and starches had a 48% greater risk of getting the disease than those who ate relatively few of those foods." Certain compounds in the "meat and potato" diet interact and trigger tumor growth. Dr. Michael Thun at the American Cancer Society says that the saturated fat in red meat releases bile into the instestine which then releases harmful substances that damage DNA. He recommends limiting your intake of red meat to 7 ounces (or less) per week and suggests choosing lean cuts of meat.

Do you have more than 1 drink per day?

The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism found that women who drank more than 1 alcoholic drink per day increased their chances of acquiring metabolic syndrome (which includes a series of risk factors that can lead to heart disease).

Breast Cancer Awareness

As Breast Cancer Awareness Month comes to a close, we'd like to remind you of a few important things about breast cancer.

As you age, your risk of getting breast cancer increases. For example, at age 20 your chance is 1 in 1837, while at age 40 it increases to 1 in 70, and at age 70 it increases to 1 in 26.

Here are some risk factors for developing breast cancer:

• being a woman
• aging
• family history of breast or ovarian cancer
• having first period before the age of 12
• starting menopause after the age of 55
• never giving birth
• having first child after age 30
• high bone density
• drinking more than 1 alcoholic beverage per day
• gaining weight as an adult
• being overweight after menopause
• using birth control pills currently or recently
• using hormone replacement therapy (HRT) currently or recently

Your best defense:

• Routine mammograms - all women over 40 should have a mamm0gram every year; women with a family history should talk to their physician about when and how often to have mammograms
• Clinical breast exams - women should have a clinical breast exam every 3 years fromages 20-39 and every year after 40
• Breast self-exam (BSE) - by age 20, all women should perform monthly breast self-exams a few days after the last day of their period
• Healthy lifestyle - eat healthy foods, exercise regularly, and limit your intake of alcohol

Visit Susan G. Komen for the Cure at http://www.komen.org/ for more information.