Mayuko Takahashi writes:
I will consider the case of Yuki Masuda. Her life style has a variety of problems. She worries about developing breast cancer later in life. So I will consider the relation between breast cancer and nutrition, and advise Mrs. Masuda on her health.
Her first problem is diet. She had lived in Canada, so she prefers to eat Western-style food. She cooks a lot of her food using sweet coconut oil or margarine and likes to eat desserts like rich cakes and ice cream (occasionally, and she eats three or four desserts at one time!). She eats quite a bit of beef and pork, and dislikes most vegetables. Her diet doesn't balance, and her LDL-level is above normal. A high-fat diet is associated with breast cancer. In addition, because Japanese women consume lower-fat diets than do women in Western countries (with high-fats diet), after her moving to Canada and returning to Japan, her breast cancer risk has gone up. She has to eat low-fat food and eat more vegetables. She must reduce her LDL-level. A balanced diet is best for health.
Secondly, in addition to her first problem, I want to consider her drinking. The best established dietary risk factor is alcohol intake, which appears to increase risk for breast cancer even among moderate drinks. She must avoid alcohol as much as possible.
The third problem is her lack of exercise. Exercise changes LDL-cholesterol into "good" HDL-cholesterol. She likes to stay at home. She must start easy exercise, for example walking. In life, we have many chances to do easy exercise. When she goes shopping, she can walk instead of using a car. She can use stairs instead of using an elevator, and so on. She must exercise as many times as possible in her life. Of course, she can enjoy sports as her hobby.
Finally, it is very important to be conscious of health. The more she is conscious of her health, the more her life-style problems are solved. If she wants to prevent developing breast cancer, she must keep in mind that she must have consciousness that she wants to live healthily and keep a regular diet and adequate exercise in mind. She needs to learn the relation between deseases and diet, and change her life style.
I hope that my advice helps her.
| Click the BACK button to return to the student index.|