Protect yourself from this female cancer!
Although it gets little press, uterine-also called geometrical-cancer is the most common of all gynecologic cancer! The good news? You can dramatically reduce your risk with a few proven prevention measures....
1. Adding bran to recipes sweeps away toxins!
Whole-grain fiber, like bran and oatmeal, is so effective at whisking environmental toxins out of your body, taking in more could cut your risk of endometrial cancer by almost a third, preliminary USDA studies suggest. "fiber binds to chemicals in the digestive tract, forcing them to be excreted instead of absorbed," explains Scottish environmental health expert Paula Billie-Hamilton, M.D., author ofToxic Overload.
The study-proven dose:
At least 15 grams of fiber daily, reportsThe American Journal of Clinical Nutritio
2. Sipping vegetable juice slims your silhouette and your risk!
Slightly heavy women are twice as likely to develop endometrial cancer, and obese women have triple the risk, say reserchers at the University of North Carolina. The reason: Body fat produces uterus irritating estrogen-and as fat levels rise, estrogen production skyrockets. That's where vegetable juice comes in: Sip it daily before every meal and according to a recent study, you'll consume 136 fewer calories per day-enough to shed 14 pounds every year!
3. Taking the pill stops cancer from starting!
Taking oral contraceptives for at least five years cuts your endonetrial cancer risk in half, studies show-and staying on them for 12 years slashes your risk by 72 percent! "The pill shuts down ovulation and stops the monthly buildup and sloughing off of the uterine lining," explains woman's health specialist Hester Sounder, M.D., a clinical instructor at Philadelphia's Temple University School of Medicine. "Preventing these dramatic risk of abnormal cells ever being formed."
Past age 37? Don't let that stop you!
As long as you don't smoke, you can safely take low-dose pills until menopause, doctors say.
4. Eating fruit halves your lifetime odds!
According to researchers at Loma Linda University, women who eat at least two servings of fruit daily cut their risk of female cancers-including uterine cancer-by as much as 50 percent!
On a low-carb diet?
Simply choose fruits naturally lower in carbohydrates, such as pears, berries, cherries and grapefruit, suggests UCLA nutrition researcher David Heber, M.D., Ph.D, author of what Color is Your Diet?
5. Stopping at one drink keeps estrogen in check!
Women who enjoy one alcoholic drink a day are half as likely to develop uterine cancer as women who regularly sip a second glass, a recent study reveals. The problem: Alcohol boost the production of estrogen in fat cells-and researchers say high levels of this tissue-damaging hormone can increase the risk that abnormal cells will form in the uterus.
Tippour another mug of cofee instead. Sipping three cups of this antioxidant-rich brew-even decaf-daily cuts endometrial cancer risk by 59 percent, researchers report.
6. Going on guava kick keeps cells healthy!
They look like a small, smooth skinned cross between a lemon and lime-and they have a light strawberry-lemon flavor-yet experts say each tiny guava packs 1,000 meg. Of lycopene, a cancer preventing nutrient 10 times more powerful than those found in broccoli, spinach and squash. More than 60 studies show that lycopene blocks the grouth of abnormal uterine cells-while also protecting lung, stomach and breast cells against precancerous changes.
7. Cutting back on chips cut down on carcinogens!
Love potato chips and fries? Millions of Americans do, but experts now recommend eating less of them. "They contain acrylamide, a cancer-causing substance formed whwn starchy foods are heated at very high temperatures," explains internal medecine specialist Gina Solomon, M.D., senior research scientist at Natural Resources Defence Concil in San Francisco. In fact a 2-oz serving of chips contains at least 39 times more acrylamide than what the World Health Organization deems safe in a glass of drinking water! Delicious and safe alternatives include homemade popcorn or oven-baked fries.
6 more power foods to put on your shopping list!
Each proven to help protect against female cancers:
1. Brazil nuts Brown
2. rice
3. Cabbage
4. Edamame (soy beans)
5. Purple grapes
6. Onions
Next time you're at a supermarket...
pick up a carton of precious omega-3-enriched eggs. Nutritional powerhouse, they each contain 350 mg.of omega-3 fatty acids compared to the 58 mg. In garden-variety eggs. And French studies show that women who consume the most omega-3s (essential fats that help body cells metabolize estrogen properly) are up to 61 percent less likely to get endometrial and female cancers than women who don't consume omega-3-rich foods.
