‘Let’s Beat Breast Cancer’: Mary Steenburgen, Ted Danson, and Alicia Silverstone Among Celebrities Uniting for Awareness Effort

Mary Steenburgen, Ted Danson, Alicia Silverstone, renowned breast cancer surgeon Kristi Funk, MD, and Jasmine C. Leyva, director of the documentary The Invisible Vegan, will appear in a new public service announcement (PSA) urging women to reduce their risk for breast cancer through simple lifestyle steps. The PSA will run throughout October, Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

The PSA is a part of the national “Let’s Beat Breast Cancer” campaign, a four-pronged, science-backed strategy, co-created by Dr. Funk and the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a national organization of more than 12,000 doctor members.

“What you eat can either fuel cancer or help your body seek and destroy it,” says Kristi Funk, MD, breast cancer surgeon and lead ambassador for the campaign. “Eating whole, colorful plant foods helps your body defend itself from rogue cancer cells.”

The campaign offers several free resources, including an e-cookbook, that will help women adopt its four key components:

• Eating a whole food, plant-based diet. Healthful foods from plants (vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and beans) lower breast cancer risk.
• Exercising regularly. Physical activity, especially vigorous exercise like running and fast cycling, lowers risk of breast cancer.
• Limiting alcohol. Alcohol increases risk of breast cancer.
• Achieving and maintaining a healthy weight. Excess body weight increases odds of getting breast cancer after menopause.

Dr. Funk is a board-certified breast cancer surgeon who co-founded the Pink Lotus Breast Center in Los Angeles. She has helped thousands of women, including celebrities Angelina Jolie and Sheryl Crow, through breast cancer treatment. While writing the national best-seller Breasts: The Owner’s Manual, Dr. Funk’s research led her family to adopt a plant-based diet.

Sisters Network Inc., The George Washington University School of Medicine & Health Sciences Office of Integrative Medicine and Health, No Evil Foods, ThirdLove, and Rancho Gordo are among the dozens of entities that have partnered with the campaign.

Founded in 1985, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine is a nonprofit organization that promotes preventive medicine, conducts clinical research, and encourages higher standards for ethics and effectiveness in research and medical training.