<p><strong>Dr. Ruth Patterson</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Dr. Ruth Patterson, a professor in the UC San Diego Department of Family Medicine and Public Health as well as Associate Director of Population Sciences and leader of the</span> <a href="https://healthsciences.ucsd.edu/research/moores/research/programs/Pages/prevention-control.aspx"> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Cancer Prevention program</span></a> <span style="font-weight: 400;">at Moores Cancer Center at UC San Diego Health.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In this episode, we chat about:</span></p> <ul> <li><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>(00:00)</strong> Introduction</span></li> <li><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>(03:33)</strong> Lifestyle modifications that reduce breast cancer risk </span></li> <li><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>(11:18)</strong> Modern life disrupts our circadian rhythm, causing us to eat at odd times</span></li> <li><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>(14:31)</strong> Women who practiced time-restricted eating with a 13-hour fasting window had a 40 percent reduced recurrence of breast cancer</span></li> <li><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>(23:03)</strong> A longer daily fasting window lowers hemoglobin A1C, earlier fasting reduces inflammation</span></li> <li><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>(28:24)</strong> Giving your metabolism time-off allows the body to repair itself</span></li> <li><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>(30:48)</strong> Does eating frequency matter while practicing time-restricted eating?</span></li> <li><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>(35:04)</strong> Daily fasting improves sleep quality and increases physical activity </span></li> <li><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>(38:27)</strong> Genetic risk factors for breast cancer</span></li> <li><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>(40:54)</strong> Modest lifestyle changes can really lower your breast cancer risk</span></li> </ul> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">If you're interested in learning more, you can read the full show notes here: <a href="https://www.foundmyfitness.com/episodes/ruth-patterson">https://www.foundmyfitness.com/episodes/ruth-patterson</a></span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Join over 300,000 people and get the latest distilled information straight to your inbox weekly:</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;"><a href="https://www.foundmyfitness.com/newsletter">https://www.foundmyfitness.com/newsletter</a></span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Become a FoundMyFitness premium member to get access to exclusive episodes, emails, live Q+A's with Rhonda and more:</span> <a href="https://www.foundmyfitness.com/crowdsponsor"><span style="font-weight: 400;">https://www.foundmyfitness.com/crowdsponsor</span></a></p>
Actionable Insights
1. Fast 13 Hours Early Evening
Aim for at least a 13-hour nightly fast, starting your last meal around 7 or 8 p.m., as this was associated with a 40% reduction in breast cancer recurrence and improved sleep, regardless of what you eat.
2. Align Eating with Circadian Rhythm
Consume all your meals within an 11-12 hour window during the day, starting with your first non-water beverage, to align with your body’s natural insulin sensitivity and circadian rhythm for better metabolic health.
3. Avoid Late-Night Eating
Do not eat large meals right before bed, as this is metabolically detrimental, dysregulates metabolism, and can disrupt sleep.
4. Start Fast Early for Inflammation
To reduce generalized inflammation (C-reactive protein), ensure your fasting interval starts early in the evening, such as 6 p.m., rather than later.
5. Achieve Modest Weight Loss
Aim for even a modest 5% weight loss, as this can lead to significant improvements in metabolic health, rather than feeling the need to reach an ‘ideal’ weight.
6. Increase Physical Activity
Engage in more physical activity and avoid long periods of sedentary behavior, as spontaneous daily activity contributes significantly to overall health and can improve metabolism.
7. Improve Diet Quality
Focus on improving the overall quality of your diet, such as adopting a Mediterranean dietary pattern, as this can influence disease risk over decades.
8. Prioritize Good Sleep
Prioritize getting good sleep, as a longer fasting duration can improve sleep quality, which in turn helps regulate metabolism and contributes to overall health.
9. Avoid Tobacco & Moderate Alcohol
Reduce your breast cancer risk and improve overall health by avoiding tobacco use and moderating alcohol consumption.
10. Practice Consistency, Not Perfection
When adopting healthful habits like time-restricted eating, aim for consistency most of the time rather than striving for perfection, as occasional deviations will not negate the overall benefits.
11. Contribute to Circadian Research
Participate in scientific research on time-restricted eating by installing the My Circadian Clock app (mycircadianclock.org), committing to 14 weeks, and submitting food pictures.
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