LIVING AN EXCEPTIONAL LIFE #96

By Rhonda Jones

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. There will be rallies, runs, dinners, and other events to signify that we are aware of the insidious nature of breast cancer and its effects on individuals and their families.

Even though heart disease is more prevalent in women and has a higher mortality than breast cancer, most women still seem to be more fearful of breast cancer and still consider heart disease a man’s illness. Still, breast cancer sends panic for anyone who hears that word.

A few years ago, I went for a routine mammogram, and a small mass was found. A biopsy was done, and it was just benign tissue, but I felt a great relief to know it was not cancer.

Over 694,000 women will die worldwide each year from breast cancer. One in eight women will develop it, and that number is increasing by about 1% every year. The primary risk factors are age with women over 50 at the greatest risk, family history of cancer, not being physically active, overweight especially after menopause, hormone therapy during menopause, pregnancy after 30 and not breastfeeding, alcohol, and smoking.

The good news is that there have been many studies on breast cancer and how to prevent it or control it. New drugs have been developed that can help patients live longer with better outcomes. But lots of studies on diet have shown that patients can actually live longer and better lives by eating a healthy plant-based diet.

Here are some examples of the many studies that have been done on eating a healthy diet and living with breast cancer as well as other cancers and heart disease:

1. Pathways Study - This study took place over 10 years with 3,646 breast cancer survivors. Participants ate a healthy (no sugary, refined foods), plant-based diet, and they reduced the all-cause mortality rate for not only breast cancer but other cancers as well as heart disease by 17%.

2. EPIC/IARC STUDY – This relatively new study, published in 2025, involved 258,343 European women who followed a plant-based diet for 15 years. Participants had an 11% reduction in breast cancer risk. Reduction in body fat accounted for 30 to 50% of the reduction, which provided a protective effect after menopause.

3. University of Rochester/Wilmot Cancer Institute – tested a strict whole-food plant-based diet, oil-free, over eight weeks on participants with stage 4 metastatic breast cancer. With 95% compliance with the diet, the results were great. Weight reduction by 6.6%, 10% reduction in IGF-1 levels, and improvement in fatigue and cognitive function.

Research suggests that a healthy plant-based diet can reduce cancer risk by as much as 11% and improve survival outcomes in cancer patients. But what were the foods included in these studies that were so healthy? Of course, they were not refined foods. No white flour, sugary soda drinks, fruit juices, ultra-processed foods such as cereal, and total elimination of French fries and other fried foods.

The foods eaten included whole fruits, vegetables, soy products, beans, nuts, seeds, coffee, tea, and some studies included small amounts of oil, such as olive oil. There was an emphasis on minimally refined soy foods such as tofu, edamame, and soy milk.

I have written previously about the benefits of soy and breast cancer. Studies have shown that soy can lower the risk of breast cancer and maybe even slow the progression of breast cancer if it develops.

Make a plant-based diet the center of your next breast cancer awareness event.