RealAge
Whenever you have potatoes on the side, make these your tubers of choice: sweet potatoes. They could be real friends to breast tissue.
A diet high in veggies could help protect against breast cancer. But carotenoid-rich produce -- like sweet potatoes -- may be particularly healthy, a new study suggests.
Call in the Carotenoids
The women in the study were at increased risk of breast cancer because of their dense breast tissue. Still, a diet high in orange and yellow produce was associated with a 50 percent lower risk of the disease in these women. Researchers speculate that the antioxidant qualities in carotenoids may help protect "at risk" breast cells against things that can damage DNA or trigger cell proliferation. Besides sweet potatoes, other yellow and orange produce that supplies carotenoids includes carrots, pumpkin, cantaloupe, mangoes, and sweet bell peppers. (Load up on breast-protective carotenoids with this Lemony Carrot Salad.)
Connecting the Dots
Ready to capitalize on the power of carotenoids? Try these tips for getting the most out of your colorful fruits and veggies:
· Get the biggest antioxidant boost out of carotenoid-containing foods when you prepare them this way.
· Watch this video to learn a quick way to cut and seed carotenoid-rich bell peppers.
Find out your risk of breast cancer -- and what you can do to lower that risk -- with this quick assessment.