Helping women to good health: breast cancer, omega-3/omega-6 lipids, and related lifestyle factors

Table 1 How to reduce breast cancer risk and improve survival after diagnosis

Item	Recommendations
Exposure to sex steroids	Decrease
Physical activity	Adopt optimal level¹
Modernized Mediterranean diet²	Full adherence
Plant and marine n-3	Increase³
Plant and animal n-6	Decrease³
Polyphenols	Increase³
Fiber	Increase³
High GI foods	Decrease³
Alcohol (no more than 1 drink/day)	Preferably wine
Organic foods (plant and animal sources)	May be beneficial
Exposure to endocrine disruptors	Decrease where possible
Insulin resistance and diabetic risk	Decrease⁴
Age-associated weight gain	Limit⁴
Drugs
Cholesterol-lowering statins	Use caution
Drugs suspected to increased BC risk	Use caution
Drugs suspected to increased insulin resistance and diabetic risk	Use caution

BC, breast cancer; GI, glycemic index.
¹Tailored to the capacity of each individual.
²Consider an alternative healthy diet in specific populations; Okinawan diet for East Asians for instance.
³Compared with a western-style diet.
⁴By adhering to the modernized Mediterranean diet (see text).

ISSN: 1741-7015