The breast cancer it is one of the most frequent cancers in the female population. 55,000 women in Italy fall ill with breast cancer every year. This is said by the AIRC foundation which launched the Nastro Rosa campaign to support the world of breast cancer research until 31 October.
Objective: to give back to thousands of women their life project. The results achieved by research in recent years have in fact given new possibilities for therapy and treatment. According to the report data The numbers of cancer in Italy 2020, created by AIOM, AIRTUM, the AIOM Foundation and PASSI, survival 5 years after diagnosis is constantly increasing: in fact, in the last twenty years it has risen from 81 to 87 percent. Thanks to the progress of science, it is now known that among the most powerful prevention weapons available there are lifestyles, including the choices that are made every day at the table.
"Weight gain is one of the main risk factors," he explains Antonio Moschetta, doctor, full professor of internal medicine at the Aldo Moro University of Bari and Airc researcher. "The available data suggest that there is a correlation between the incidence of breast cancer, its greater aggressiveness and its reduced ability to cure and abdominal obesity. In the most recent epidemiological studies it has been seen that the presence of visceral fat in the waist increases the chances not only of encountering this type of problem, but of having to deal with a more aggressive and difficult-to-treat tumor ", says the expert, who explains here what to do at the table to reduce the risk of getting sick and improve the chances of recovery if diagnosed.

Beware of false myths

«One of the most widespread beliefs is that there is a miraculous diet capable of preventing breast cancer and that it can be good for all women. In reality this is not the case. Any protocol must be customized based on age, physical constitution and hormonal phase. A diet tailored to a woman of childbearing age will never be suitable for a perimenopausal or menopausal woman ", emphasizes the expert. However, there are general rules that can be useful to everyone. "The first is that keeping the body healthy through physical activity and a correct diet can not only reduce the chances of getting sick, but also increase the response to available therapies. Studies show that a person who is in a situation of obesity or is overweight if he loses weight decreases the levels of chronic inflammation and has a better chance of a cure .

At the table, limit not only fats

The presence of fat around the belly does not only depend on the excessive consumption of fatty foods. Eating high amounts of sugar-rich foods can also increase body fat and increase the risk of breast cancer. "Excessive consumption of sugars promotes greater production of insulin, a hormone capable of transforming them into fats," explains the expert. At the table, therefore, it is necessary to reduce the consumption of sugars in particular of the simple ones present in foods such as sugar, refined baked goods, sweets. Instead, it is necessary to give precedence to complex ones, present in whole grains and their derivatives which, thanks to the presence of fiber, slow down their absorption. In the menus, it is also necessary to prefer healthy fats such as those found in extra virgin olive oil and blue fish and reduce the consumption of the saturated ones contained in cheeses and red and processed meat such as cured meats.

Lots of fiber and balanced menus

To lower the risk of developing breast cancer and improve survival after a diagnosis, it is necessary to focus on the Mediterranean diet which includes vegetables and complex carbohydrates together with good quality proteins. Vegetables have countless benefits. «Thanks to the richness of satiating fibers, they reduce the risk of hyperglycemia and obesity, two risk factors for cancer. Some types of vegetables such as crucifers, particularly broccoli, also contain molecules capable of dissolving fats and counteracting conditions that increase the chances of getting sick . Finally, we must pay attention to meal times. "Today we know that catabolism, the set of metabolic processes through which the body transforms food into energy, also changes according to the times of the day in which it is taken. The general rule of thumb is to introduce more food for breakfast and lunch and reduce portions for dinner. In the first part of the day when the metabolism is more active, the body tends to accumulate less storage energy. On the contrary, the intake of large quantities of food during the last part of the day risks accumulating in the form of fat, which over time not only increases the possibility of creating a protumoral environment, but also increases the aggressiveness of the disease. and decrease the chances of responding to therapy ".