'You can safely forget about your cellphone' and other myth-busting truths about breast cancer
Talking on your cellphone will not cause you to get breast cancer.
That is just one of the myths about breast cancer dispelled by Dr. Kristi Funk in her new book, “Breasts: The Owner’s Manual.”
“I love busting myths with science because, you know, there are enough things to worry about that do cause breast cancer,” Funk said on “GMA.” “I like to take a load off and let you know what does not cause breast cancer.”
In the United States, 236,968 women and 2,141 men were diagnosed with breast cancer in 2014, according to the most recent statistics available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Although breast cancer is often seen as a genetic disease, fewer than 10 percent of breast cancer victims carry an inherited genetic mutation associated with the ailment, noted Funk, a renowned, surgical breast-care specialist and the doctor of actress Angelina Jolie.
“There will always be senseless cancers that happen in someone who is young or someone who does everything right," Funk said. "But for the vast majority, a solid 80 percent, of these cancers around the world, it does make sense and it doesn’t come from your family."
She added, “It comes from the daily choices that women are making that have to do largely with nutrition and lifestyle behavior.”
You can safely forget about getting breast cancer from these 6 things, according to Funk.
1. Cellphones, microwaves, TVs and power lines: "It is the wrong kind of radiation, non-ionizing [to affect breast cancer]."
2. Deodorant and antiperspirants: "It doesn't matter."
3. Birth control pills: "[There is] a tiny, tiny little bump in breast cancer but once you go off your birth control, it doesn't matter."
4. Fertility drugs: "Don't matter at all."
5. Caffeine, coffee, tea and chocolate: "Totally safe."
6. Bras: "With or without a wire, don't care."
You can 'maximally reduce' your risk of breast cancer by taking these 4 steps, according to Funk.
1. Eat a whole food, plant-based diet: "[Eat] tons of fruits and vegetables, legumes (lentils, peas, beans), nuts [and] whole grains. These foods act like phytonutrients, go into your bloodstream to seek and destroy cancer cells."
2. Get to an ideal body weight: "And stay there for the rest of your life. Do not be overweight or obese."
3. Exercise: "You've got to bust a move like five hours a week."
4. Limit alcohol: "No more than one drink a day."
4 ways to lessen your exposure to environmental toxicities, according to Funk.
1. Wash your hands frequently, and always before you eat.
2. Dust and vacuum.
3. Have house plants.
4. Funk believes in choosing household-cleaner and personal-care cosmetic products that are chemical-free and [that] use essential oils instead of synthetic fragrances, as the role of various chemicals in cancer risk is still not well understood.
Funk also answered "GMA" viewers' questions about breast cancer, risk factors, and treatment options. Watch here:
