ISTOCK

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, an observance that is particularly significant for African-American women, who have a lower risk than white women of getting breast cancer but a higher risk of dying from it.

While many causes of cancer are environmental—what we inhale voluntarily (e.g., tobacco smoke) and involuntarily (hazardous chemicals), and even excessive sun exposure—what we eat or don’t eat can also play a significant role. Nothing in our diets can prevent or cure cance