Many Women Who Beat Cancer Don’t Change
Habits Many women who battle breast cancer will
tell you it’s a life-changing experience. However, a new study shows that for
many 1 , the changes aren’t always
positive or permanent. Beth Snoke has watched her mother and
both grandmothers battle and survive breast 1
. So when she was diagnosed, there was no doubt in her mind
3 she had to do. "I do
exactly what the doctors say as far as the medicine that I’m on, as 4 as the vitamins, the diet, and the fitness. And
I can’t stress enough 5 important that
is," says Beth Snoke. But a surprising new study shows that
6 every woman who beats breast cancer is getting that
message. In fact, nearly 40% of them say even 7
surviving breast cancer, they haven’t made significant changes in
the 8 they eat or how much they
exercise. "Not all survivors are taking advantage of this
teachable moment and making positive health changes in
9 life," says Electra Paskett, PhD, at Ohio State
University’s Comprehensive Cancer Center. Paskett says diet and exercise have
been proven to not only help women feel better during and after treatment, they
may 10 play a role in preventing some
cancers from coming back. 11 growing
evidence, some women just aren’t listening. "Colon cancer
survivors 12 exercise have actually
been shown to have improved survival rates. So, yes, it is true that perhaps by
making some of these healthy choices we can actually increase their health,"
says Paskett. As a breast cancer survivor
13 , Paskett knows first hand how much difference diet and
exercise can 14 . The challenge, she
says, is to get more survivors to be more like Beth, during and after
treatment. Experts say exercising more and eating a healthier
diet can also cut 15 on stress and help
women overcome depression. There are more than 2 million breast cancer survivors
living in the U.S. of those, nearly a million have yet to change their diet or
exercise routines.