The Livelong Newsletter

Hi Everyone,

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and the Susan G. Komen organization is hosting a Pickleball for the Cure event to raise awareness.

Since racket sports are the number one longevity sport, the challenge both supports the strong people who are fighting—or have fought against—breast cancer 💪, and it is an opportunity to promote longevity.

→ Sign up for the challenge here.

In today’s issue:

• Can diet reduce the risk of breast cancer?

• Whoop steps it up.

• Looking for a 5-minute stretch routine?

• And much more…

We love to hear from you—our community. Please share your feedback, stories, questions, testimonials, ideas, and more with us at [email protected].

👁️‍🗨️SPOTLIGHT — Diet

According to this survey, most people don’t know the link between diet and breast cancer prevention

With breast cancer diagnoses rising in the U.S., especially among young women, women are seeking natural ways to reduce their risk. 

Healthy diet can reduce this risk. But according to this survey, most women are not aware there is a link, according to an article from the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM).

• According to survey results, only 28% of women knew about the link.

The experts propose eating a whole food plant-based diet to prevent breast cancer.

• “In my opinion, 80 to 90 percent of cases could be avoided," says Kristi Funk, a breast cancer surgeon and prevention expert, says in the article.

What should you eat?

• Soy products. Often the victim of inaccurate science, dietitian Stephanie McBurnett says that soy products are rich in isoflavones that may prevent breast cancer, she tells Newsweek.

Note: Too much of anything can be a bad thing—isoflavone supplements are NOT recommended for women with a personal or family history of breast cancer!

• High-fiber foods. Fiber is like a broom that sweeps away excess estrogen and carcinogens.

• Cruciferous vegetables. Broccoli, cabbage, and brussel sprouts are rich in a cancer-fighting compound called sulforaphanes, according to UCLA Health.

• Flaxseed. Contains lignans, or “special fibers” that block estrogen receptors and prevent tumor growth, McBurnett says. 

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✨ Read on for a delish stir-fry recipe featuring these ingredients. ✨

Honorable mentions:

• Fatty fish—part of a healthy Mediterranean diet, fatty fish like sardines are rich in vitamin D and can lower the risk of breast cancer.

• Olive oil—contains anti-cancer polyphenols and other anti-inflammatory compounds that promote antioxidant activity.

• Green tea—contains a molecule that stops blood vessels from forming in cancer cells, according to Loma Linda University.

Other lifestyle factors that reduce risk—exercise, limiting alcohol, and maintaining a health weight, according to the PCRM.

➕ LIVE MORE STATS

• 🥦 A plant-forward diet lowers the risk of weight gain from cancer treatment.

• 💪 There are 4 million breast cancer survivors in the U.S.

• 🐕 Therapy dogs can reduce cancer-induced anxiety by 31%, according to a recent study.

WELLNESS WATCH — Fitness

Try this quick morning stretch routine

Integrate stretching into your wellness routine for long-term health. 

Stretching in the morning feels especially good after a long and restful night of sleep, but many don’t have time for a whole routine.

Try this quick 5-minute morning routine to get the blood flowing, joints moving, and prep you for movement.

1. Alternating side stretch

2. Knees to chest

3. Forward fold

4. Seated hip and glute stretch

5. Sumo stretch with twist

→ Get the full routine breakdown here.

What is a healthy stretching routine?

A healthy stretching routine targets the big muscle-tendon groups, according to an article in Harvard Health.

• How often should you stretch? A panel of experts agrees that you should be stretching two to three times a week, minimum, according to Harvard Health.

• How long is long enough? Hold each stretch for 60 seconds. It can be all at once, or in increments (three rounds of 20-second holds, four rounds of 15-second holds), authors write.

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📰 IN OTHER NEWS

Whoop steps it up

WHOOP counts steps now, according to a new press release.

• Step count is located under My Dashboard. You can also use the Plan tab to set daily or weekly step goals and see step count for specific activities.

• How accurate is step count for longevity? Evidence suggests steps are associated with cardiovascular mortality.

• More steps are not healthier, per se. Each increase of 1000 steps reduces the risk of death by 15% in the study — but longevity benefits plateau around 8,000 steps, on average.

• What else does WHOOP calculate? Skin temperature, heart rate, strain, respiratory rate, and sleep quality.

Quick reads

• Estrogen. Why you should care about it for female longevity. 

• Beauty within. Therapeutic probiotics could potentially cure skin conditions like eczema.

• Drinking keto. A new “keto cocktail” could promote ketosis without the diet.

LONG-LEVITY

Changing lives: Teaching blind women to detect early stage breast cancer

Appreciating everyone who is helping with treatment and prevention.

People with blindness navigate the world with their fingertips — this skill is saving lives in India, according to a recent article.

In a country where breast screening is taboo and access to healthcare is limited in many areas, women with blindness are being trained to detect breast cancer by touch. 

The service allows women the opportunity to take control of their health and get care before it’s too late, giving purpose and income to the women who are blind.

“Blindness is not a curse any​ ​more,” says Salini Khanna Sodhi, director of the NAB India Center for Blind Women and Disability Studies.

🍜 RECIPE

→ Get this stir-fry recipe here.

📕 Discover the best longevity books

Books are the foundation for understanding key longevity concepts.

 ☝️ Find your next favorite read here and transform your health.

🔛 What’s next?

• 📥 Subscribe to the community — If you haven’t subscribed, please do so. You’re joining a great community of life.

• ➡️ Share this newsletter — Share with a friend so they can get fresh, actionable, and evidence-based information to support their health journey, too.

• 🗨️ We love to hear from you! — Please share your feedback, stories, questions, testimonials, ideas, and more with us.

• 🔔 Catch up on our previous newsletters — Discover interesting, impactful content to support your longevity journey.

• ☕  In our most recent newsletter — the link between coffee and dementia.

🦉 WISDOM FOR LIFE

About Livelong

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Always seek the advice of a physician or other qualified health care professional before starting any exercise, wellness, or health program. Nothing in our content, products or services should be considered, or used as a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Livelong is a media company and not a medical provider. We try to give the most accurate possible, but sometimes information is subject to change.