Five Ways Girlfriends Can Fight Breast Cancer Together

Girlfriends are good for more than sharing fun times with-they may also help heal.

A recent study published by the Journal of Clinical Oncology stated that women with breast cancer who reported having many close family and friends were more likely to survive their disease than those who didn't.

Dr. Elizabeth Boham, Canyon Ranch's resident physician and leader of the "Thriving After Breast Cancer" workshops and a breast cancer survivor herself, teamed up with the KN Karen Neuburger lifestyle brand to offer the "Girlfriends' Guide to Fighting Breast Cancer Together." The guide provides fun ways girlfriends can work together to reduce their risk for the disease, including:

Take A Lap

Get your girlfriends together to walk the neighborhood several times a week. Use this time to breathe in the fresh air, chat, laugh and get your heart pumping.

• Why it works: Three to five hours of exercise per week has been shown to decrease the risk of breast cancer. Exercise improves insulin sensitivity, decreasing estrogen exposure and breast cancer risk.

Girlfriends Dinner Party

• Why it works: An enzyme in body fat, called aromatase, makes estrogen in your body. When estrogen exposure increases, so does your risk of breast cancer.

Play It Smooth

Invite the girls for post-workout smoothies. A postexercise fruit smoothie or salad will refuel and re-energize you.

• Why it works: People who consume more fruits and vegetables have a lower rate of cancer. The goal is eight to 10 half-cup servings per day.

Girls' Night In

Rather than hitting the town for a wild night out, consider a girls' night in, focusing on a favorite activity such as scrapbooking, or screening old movies.

• Why it works: It's important for women to monitor their alcohol intake. Consuming more than five alcoholic drinks per week has been shown to increase the risk of breast cancer.

Promote Sleep

Gift your girlfriends with comfy pajamas and pampering treatments to help them relax.

• Why it works: Sleep helps heal damaged cells and DNA. Sleep deficiency can lead to changes in your metabolism, which can result in weight gain and insulin resistance that can increase the risk of breast cancer.

Girlfriend Power: Close friendships can affect breast cancer survival.

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Celebrate friendship with a dinner party complete with healthy appetizers and entrées. For a sample menu, visit www.karenneuburger.com/menu. Simple and healthy recipes are available at www.karenneuburger.com/recipes. For ideas, visit www.karenneuburger.com/ party.