Want Protection From Breast Cancer? Have Some Babies
By Dr. Miriam Grossman, M.D.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, ladies. Time for pink ribbons, fundraising, mammograms, and that familiar list of lifestyle changes you can make to decrease your risk.

I bet most of you can recite it in your sleep: examine yourself monthly, watch your weight, exercise, eat berries, vegetables and fiber. Don’t smoke or drink excessive alcohol. Avoid red meat and fatty foods.

Those are the guidelines etched in our brains, women young and old, desperate to dodge the dreaded bullet that will strike one in eight of us. But as you stock up on blueberries and sauerkraut, please know one more thing. The “lifestyle” choice that provides the best protection from this epidemic has nothing to do with diet, cigarettes, or booze.
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