< Previous10 | The Daily News | Think Pink | October 2021 A HEALTHY DIET CAN LOWER YOUR RISK OF BREAST CANCER Story by Valerie Wells | Photo courtesy of UTMB C hanging what food you eat can lower your risk of getting breast cancer and can improve your odds of survival. Almost half of all can- cers are preventable, said Dr. Sagar Kamprath, a family medicine physi- cian at the University of Texas Medical Branch. “What you put in the body either fuels or starves the disease pro- cess,” Kamprath said. A typical American diet high in fat, processed food and sugar can cause obesity and inflamma- tion, which in turn leads to diseases like diabetes, heart disease and cancer. An anti-inflammatory, Mediterranean-style diet that emphasizes fruit, vegetables and cold-wa- ter fish is healthier, Kam- prath said. Adding spices to your meals helps, too. Turmer- ic, when combined with black pepper, reduces in- flammation in the body. Cooking with ginger has a similar effect. Eating a Mediterranean diet also can help you lose weight. That’s im- portant because studies show a link between obesity and breast can- cer. Postmenopausal wom- en who are obese have a 20 percent to 40 percent increase in risk of devel- oping breast cancer com- pared to women who are the same age but have a normal weight. Too much sugar or alcohol in the diet can cause inflammation in your body. Some inflam- mation is normal and necessary for your body to heal. But too much inflammation leads to heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Most Americans ingest 82 grams of sugar every day. That’s almost 20 tea- spoons. Cutting back can be difficult since sugar can be as addictive as cocaine, Kamprath said. But it’s important to limit sugar in your diet. “To get this naturally, you would have to have about 2 pounds of sugar cane, which is a lot,” Kamprath said. “If you are able to ingest all this, it comes with all that fiber which helps slow down the absorption of the sugar rather than it directly going into the blood stream.” Conflicting diet informa- tion about soy products can be confusing. Some women worry they should avoid soy because it could cause cancer by increas- ing estrogen levels. Despite the confound- ing studies on soy, it has more benefits than dangers, Kamprath said. Phytoestrogens in soy can be beneficial or can block estrogen depend- ing on if a woman has gone through meno- pause. “I would not advocate taking soy supplements,” Kamprath said. It’s better to eat it. As an integrative medicine practitioner, Kamprath stresses eating food as part of a healthy diet and not taking it in a pill. “Food is medicine,” Kamprath said.” “Another confusing food for many women is milk. It turns out to be a controversial food for doctors as well. While women are encouraged to drink milk as a source of calcium and Vitamin D, they also may worry about the hormone levels in cow’s milk sold at grocery stores. “It’s something to avoid, unless it is well- sourced and digestible,” Kamprath said. Milk from grass-fed cows would be better, es- pecially if it comes from a small organic farm, Kamprath said. Grass-fed cows produce milk with more Omega 3 fats that are healthier than the Omega 6 fats found in corn-fed cow’s milk. “What we ingest is beneficial or detrimen- tal,” Kamprath said. “If you constantly put bad fuel in a car, you’ll have to take it to the shop.” October 2021 | Think Pink | The Daily News | 11 JANICE LONGORIA’S JOURNEY: KEEP A POSITIVE ATTITUDE THROUGHOUT THE PROCESS Story by Valerie Wells | Photo courtesy of UTMB “I did not worry about (the biopsy surgery). I worried about now. You have to live life in between.” JANICE LONGORIA D aily prayer and meditation helped Janice Longo- ria stay in the moment throughout her breast cancer treatment. “It’s an attitude,” Lon- goria said. “You go on about your life as much as possible.” In March, she had her annual mammogram. She should have had it in January, but it was a lit- tle later this year. It also was a little different. The mammogram showed a slight change from previ- ous years. The radiologist or- dered another test and ultrasound. After seeing those results, the radiolo- gist then referred Longo- ria, 61, for a biopsy. “I was very, very nervous,” Longoria said. “But they were ex- tremely kind.” Longoria, a retired educator, worked for the Univer- sity of Texas Medical Branch Cancer Center about 30 years ago. She wrote educational material for family practice physicians and helped write grants. “Back then, when you had a biopsy, you had to lie face down with your breasts hanging through holes, and the doctor would operate from below,” Longoria said. “Now, you sit in an adjustable chair. It is comfortable and simple.” The medical team told her to ice herself for 30 minutes before the pro- cedure. “It helps them with the bleeding, and it helps you by numbing the area,” Longoria said. It took about three days to get the results back. Every time her MyChart account alerted her that she had new test results, she broke out in a sweat. “But it wasn’t the biopsy results,” she said. Her reg- ular primary care physician called her with the biopsy results. Longoria had in- vasive ductal carcinoma, a type of breast cancer that forms in the milk ducts. Then, she got an appointment with Dr. Colleen Silva at the Breast Health Center at the UTMB League City Campus. It was only a 15-min- ute drive for Longoria, who lives in League City. “They got me in quick- ly,” she said. “Dr. Silva was very kind. She was open to any and all ques- tions. She gave thorough explanations and was kind and gentle.” At that first appoint- ment with Dr. Silva, they discussed the biopsy findings, the necessary surgery to remove the tumor and the possibility of radiation, endocrine and chemotherapy. Longoria decided not to worry about those possibilities right then. “I did not worry about that,” she said. “I worried about now. You have to live life in between.” She focused on what she needed each day, and she kept plans to go on a small family trip. The lumpectomy in August went well for Longoria. On the day of her sur- gery, a radiologist placed a wire in her breast to guide the doctor. “It was as easy as the biopsy,” she said. “Scars were minimal. The lumpectomy recovery has been simple for me.” A study on the removed lymph nodes showed her cancer had not spread, meaning she might not need chemotherapy. “It was a day surgery,” Longoria said. “The tu- mor was very small. It’s invasive cancer, but we caught it early.” Longoria established a comfortable rapport with all the medical profes- sionals at the Breast Care Center. “Years and years ago, we had midwives who took care of women’s issues,” Longoria said. “Then, we had a team of men. In my journey here, it was all women. I felt very cared for. There’s something about that female con- nection.” People who get a breast cancer diagnosis should balance what they need to know with the overwhelming amount of information available, Longoria said. “Too much information can make it scarier,” she said. “But do ask your questions and get them answered.” 1 IN 8 WOMEN invasive breast cancer October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month will develop over the course of her lifetime SOURCE: www.breastcancer.org12 | The Daily News | Think Pink | October 2021 BRA Day: Wednesday, October 20, 7:00-8:30 pm Questions may be submitted ahead of time or during the event Live on Zoom First 50 registrants with confirmation will receive a signature gift bag Gives Back Shopping October 20-21 Join us for two open panel discussions: For all things BRA Day https://utmb.us/60v Mammogram specials for October https://utmb.us/60w Start your shopping early, get something for that special someone 7:00 pm Our multidisciplinary breast cancer team 7:45 pm Patients and their experiences To register as a patient or for more information, contact Yvonne Rendon by phone at (409) 772-1257 or email at yrendon@utmb.eduNext >