There's nothing more empowering than knowing that just making little changes in our lives can forever alter its course. Nothing scarier either. Especially when scientists are talking about the little things we can do to help prevent something as serious as breast cancer. That's the kind of news I want to jump all over ... but the latest bit out of the research team at Marshall University in Western Virginia sounds kind of, well, nuts, to say the least.
So what do researchers claim will help some women cut their risk of breast cancer entirely, and probably make smaller tumors in the women who do develop the disease?
Eat walnuts!
Gotcha, didn't I? It's nutty in a good way.
Based on work with mice, the study that shows up in the latest edition of the medical journal Nutrition and Cancer claims that as little as 2 ounces of the seeds can benefit humans in a big way. But it's only walnuts. Loading up on your favorite peanut butter or pistachio won't do. That's because walnuts contain nearly twice as many antioxidant polyphenols as their other nut cousins. And in case you're wondering why the heck they're feeding mice walnuts to prevent breast cancer, it's those polyphenols that make it worth it. They've already been found to prevent degenerative diseases, specifically cardiovascular diseases and cancers, and there's evidence it can prevent osteoporosis and diabetes.
Think it's too nutty to eat walnuts just for the breast cancer prevention? This might make it worth it: walnuts have been found to help with weight management, cognitive and motor function, and bone health. That's in addition to diabetes and heart disease.
Do you eat walnuts? Do you think it's worth adding them to your daily diet to prevent breast cancer?
Image via Gimme Food :)/Flickr