Breast Cancer Prevention Starting at Puberty

Paleo diets are a big deal right now.  Overall, I see that having a diet high in protein and low in carbohydrates helps my patients lose weight, think clearer and feel better.  My only word of caution is to take care with eating too much saturated fats from meat on a daily basis. A new study from the Breast Cancer and Environment Research program is showing a preliminary connection with high saturated fat diets in teenage girls increasing breast cancer development.  Saturated fats come in many forms.  Obviously, the big ones to avoid are fried foods and baked goods.  Of course, these are not generally consumed in a paleo diet.  I recommend trying to maximize the proteins in the form of fish, poultry and eggs if tolerated.  If red meat is consumed, try more elk, venison, buffalo and grass-fed beef with no added hormones.  Fats are best consumed from vegetable sources such as olives and avocados.  Another important point is to encourage our young teens to continue to be active. Exercise is invaluable for physical health and attitude improvement.  Often the best encouragement is demonstrating these healthy behaviors ourselves.