Sunshine and vitamin D may be key

Study results by Dr. Julia A. Knight of the Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto, Canada, suggest that exposure to sunlight and dietary sources of vitamin D may be two of the best ways you can reduce your breast cancer risk.

Combining the right food with sunshine exposure can produce sufficient vitamin D levels in your body (1,000 IU per day). Here’s how:

• Getting about 10 to 15 minutes two times per week in the sun without sunscreen and with exposed skin (face, arms, hands, or back) allows the sun’s rays to penetrate the skin and synthesize vitamin D.

• Besides getting vitamin D from sunshine, you can also get it from specific foods—including butter, eggs, and vitamin D–fortified foods, such as milk, soy milk, orange juice, and cereals. Oily fish are an animal source of vitamin D3, such as salmon (wild caught is better for the environment), trout, tuna (not every day due to potential mercury levels), sardines, and mackerel.

• Vitamin D supplements might also help, though research has not yet shown that this is as effective as sunlight and vitamin D gotten through food.

Live well and prosper

Overall healthy living may also reduce breast cancer risks.

• Get moving—Exercise in the sunshine and outdoors if possible. Many magazines such as Self, Shape, and Yoga Journal offer exercise and outdoor adventure ideas.

• Watch the waist—If you are overweight, look for low-calorie foods and drinks.

• Choose your fats wisely—Avoid trans fats and stick to good fats, such as olive oil, oily fish (salmon, trout, mackerel and others), avocados, and walnuts.

• Get a folate fix—Get enough folic acid (400 mcg per day) to build healthy cells. In addition to supplements and multivitamins, folic acid can be found in citrus fruits and juices, green leafy vegetables, and fortified cereal.

• Kick the habit—Avoid second-hand smoke and use over-the-counter products to help you quit smoking, such as nicotine gums, inhalers, lozenges, nasal sprays, or patches.