Give up Cigarettes and Gain No Weight

According to an article in Good Housekeeping Magazine, June 2010, giving up cigarettes doesn't have to mean gaining weight. Researchers from Northwestern University analyzed 10 studies involving 2,233 smokers, and found that those who watched the scale while quitting put on less weight (about 1.9 fewer pounds) after three months thant those who just cut out the cigarettes. Success in one area encourags more success in the other. So, attempting both at the same time not only could prevent dreaded weight gain, it could also up your chances of stopping smoking once and for all.

How To Outsmart Breast Cancer: Part 2

According to an article in the October 2010 issue of Good Housekeeping magazine, 38 percent of breast cancer cases could be prevented with diet, exercise, and weight control. Yesterday's blog hit on watching weight gain, incorporating certain veggies in your diet, taking vitamin D, and avoid excess hormones. Today we will look at 5 more tips on preventing breast cancer.

5. Back away from the bar: The reality is that the more alcohol you consume, the greater your odds of getting breast cancer possibly because it raises estrogen levels. The consensus among health groups is to limit consumption to one drink or less per day.

6. Race for the prevention: Being physically active, it turns out, could be the single best thing you can do to protect your health. For a start, regular aerobic activity for 30 minutes a day, five days a week. This will help control weight, but it also acts directly on body chemistry to lower levels of circulating insulin and estrogen.

7. And keep on going: Surviving and thriving after diagnose may also depend on stepping up the pace. In a review of six studies involving 12,000 breast cancer patients, researchers found that regular exercise could reduce disease recurrence by 24 percent, breast cancer deaths by 34 percent, and overall deaths by 41 percent.

8. Don't miss mammograms: When government-sponsored task force announced last year that it didn't think there was enough evidence to subject women in their 40s to regular mammograms, and that women in their 50s could be screened every other year. A major 2009 study reported that three-quarters of breast cancer deaths occurred among women who did not undergo regular screening.

9. Assert your individuality: Public health guidelines focus on the population as a whole, but to protect your health, you need to get specific. You may need a stepped-up screening schedule if, for example you've ever had a breast biopsy (even if benign). Likewise, if you are at increase risk due to family history, you may need more frequent exams or screenings with MRI. Make sure your doctor knows your family history (father's as well as mother's).

How To Outsmart Breast Cancer: Part 1

According to an article in the October 2010 issue of Good Housekeeping magazine, states that no matter what age you are now, or what generation you belong to, it's not too early, or too late, to take steps to avoid the disease. Below are steps 1-4 that make a difference from eating the right vegetables, to taking the correct supplements.

1. Watch out for weight creep: If you could still fit into your high school prom dress (with Spanx, if necessary), you're in good shape in more ways than one. Woman who have gained between 21 and 30 pounds since age 18 have a 40 percent increase risk of breast cancer compared with those who have put on five or fewer pounds, an American Cancer Society study found.

2. Embrace cauliflower: Recent research seems to show that adopting a pattern of eating that includes lots of fruits and vegetables is beneficial. When Colorado State University scientist took a second look at the famed Singapore study, the research that initially pointed to the Asian-style diet found that even among Chinese women, those who ate more "vegetable-fruit-soy" diet had a lower risk of breast cancer than woman whose plates contained less of these. The veggies that seemed to to the most good: cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and kale.

3. Swallow a super supplement: In a Canadian study involving more than 6,000 women, those who reported taking a daily dose of vitamin D were 24 percent less likely to develop breast cancer. The science is not definitive, but evidence is growing that women with adequate vitamin D blood levels have a lower risk of breast cancer than those whose levels are below normal.

4. Avoid excess hormones: Most women are aware that hormone therapy has been linked to a higher risk of breast cancer. But studies have also found that birth control pills raise your chances slightly, at least while you're actually on the Pill (the risk starts to go down when you stop taking it; after 10 year, it's the same as it would be if you'd never been on the Pill).

Stay tuned for tomorrow because there will be 5 more preventive measures you can take to help in the battle against breast cancer. We as women and mothers must take care of our health for the sake of the family. By the way, men are known to get breast cancer too.