The University of California San Francisco has an excellent resource available for anyone who is concerned about breast cancer. This handy guide, “Nutrition and Breast Cancer” provides an easy-to-follow list of foods that can reduce the risk of breast cancer or inhibit its spread.

As you may expect, it recommends a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and fiber. It also lists healthy fats, including cold-water fish, olive oil, avocados, walnuts, and flaxseeds. The recommendations are backed up with summaries of studies; cruciferous vegetables, pomegranates, and beta-carotene supplying foods are prominently featured. It’s interesting to note that in a section about monounsaturated fats, that olive oil consumption reduced the risk of breast cancer by 13 to 34 percent. One study found that a high intake of olive oil (8.8 grams per day) resulted in a 73 percent lower risk. And the entire guide provides fascinating facts that could literally save your life.

The guide also does an excellent job outlining the connection between cancer risk, sugar consumption, and elevated blood glucose levels.

This resource is well done and deserves a look. You can check it out for yourself here: http://cancer.ucsf.edu/_docs/crc/nutrition_breast.pdf