October is National Breast Cancer Awareness month and the American Cancer Society has listed a number of ways tor reduce breast cancer risk. Those suggestions include: not smoking, getting regular breast exams and not drinking. in addition, thirty minutes of moderate to vigorous activity is also key to cutting breast cancer risk by as much as fifty percent. The American Cancer Society has also suggested limited alcohol to only one drink per day.

What you eat may also play an important role in decreasing your risk of breast cancer as well. Eating plenty of fruits and vegetables as well as whole grains and beans can be a boost to healthy breast tissue by increasing the number of antioxidants and phytonutrients in the body. These can both prevent the growth or spread of tumors as well as helping to repair damaged DNA. According to a study by the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, located in Texas, there is a number of foods that can be called super foods because of the high number of benefits that they provide for the body, especially for the protection against breast cancer.

In the study, researchers discovered that women who ate a variety of mushrooms were as much as 64% less likely to develop breast cancer. The mushrooms are believed to block the production of estrogen, the female hormone known to feed breast cancer tumors. Whole grain foods, including brown rice, bulgur and buckwheat contain lignans which have been shown to reduce breast cancer risk by nearly twenty percent.

other foods, including berries of all varieties are also on the super food listing. Berries, are high in ellagic acid, a phytochemical that has been shown to keep the cells from multiplying and getting bigger. Leafy greens are high in antioxidants which prevent damages from free radicals in the body and foods like cabbage, broccoli, kale and bok choy help to keep enzymes that defend the body against irregular cells at fairly high levels.

In honor of National Breast Cancer Awareness month, a number of companies have announced contests and other promotions to raise money for breast cancer research. The Ford Motor Company has been linked to the Susan G. Komen Foundation for nearly twenty years and has raised over $100 million in funds through celebrity designed tee shirts and other items. In addition, a specially designed car will be given away in a Facebook contest on the Ford Cares Fan Page.

In the US, one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer, the second most commonly diagnosed type of cancer. (Skin cancer is number one.) One in four cancers in women turns out to be breast cancer. A woman’s risk will double if she has a close relative that has been diagnosed with the disease. Death rates from breast cancer have been decreasing since the 1990’s.  Although the reason is not known, Caucasian women are slightly more likely to diagnosed with breast cancer than other nationalities.