Could Shedding a Few Pounds Prevent a Breast Cancer Recurrence?

Bonnie Annis is a breast cancer survivor, diagnosed in 2014 with stage 2b invasive ductal carcinoma with metastasis to the lymph nodes. Catch up on all of Bonnie's blogs here!

Americans like to eat and it’s no wonder that they do. Every single time we turn on the television, commercials prod us to try the newest food products. Many advertisements found on cable or streaming services focus on unhealthy foods like sweets and fast foods. Those tantalizing marketing ads make us salivate.

During the summer, I start to become more aware of the excess weight I’m carrying. Being physically active is more challenging when the temperatures soar and every extra pound seems heavier than normal.

Today, I was helping my husband with some yard work. It was 90 degrees outside, I was “sweating like a pig” and felt yucky. Over the course of a few years, as I’ve gotten older, I’ve become more sedentary, and the pounds have slowly crept on. I hadn’t realized it during the cooler months but today was a different story. I knew I had to do something about it. Not only was I concerned about feeling better, but I was also concerned about the possibility of excess weight contributing to a recurrence of breast cancer. After 11 years of living cancer free, I never want to risk having it come back into my life.

I remember reading several medical articles about studies done on postmenopausal women, particularly those who were overweight or obese. Since I fell into the postmenopausal category and I’d packed on a few pounds, I paid more attention. Studies revealed that when those factors were combined with cancers fed by estrogen (ER+), it got even more dicey. Apparently excess body fat led to more production of the hormone estrogen and that could feed cancer cells, causing them to grow.

What could I do to give myself better odds? It wasn’t hard to figure out. I needed to work on my diet and exercise. If I cut out processed foods and sweets, focusing more on healthy options like lean meats, fresh vegetables and fruits, I’d probably start to feel better. Coupling that with daily exercise, like walking, I’d burn unnecessary calories.

Women don’t like to talk about their weight but during the summer months, we often become more conscious of how we look. When it’s time to pull out the bathing suits and shorts, there’s not a lot of leeway for camouflaging those “jelly rolls.”

For many years, physicians have encouraged patients to eat healthily, exercise often and maintain a healthy weight; however, attempting to do those things isn’t always as easy as one may think. Will power requires determination but if controlling what goes in our bodies can help keep cancer at bay, shouldn’t we want to do it?

No one wants to face a cancer recurrence, but as a breast cancer survivor, I know it’s a real possibility if I don’t stay on top of things.

A recurrence of breast cancer can occur at any time to someone, but studies indicate patients who are postmenopausal and carry excess weight may be at a higher risk. If you fall into that category, like I do, I hope you’ll choose to do something about it before it’s too late. Health is really such a valuable asset. Ask any cancer survivor, we know.

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