Breast Health and Nutrition in Perimenopause and Postmenopause

This session explores how hormonal changes during perimenopause and postmenopause affect breast tissue, including shifts in breast density, tenderness, and common benign symptoms. As estrogen and progesterone decline, cyclical breast changes often lessen, though non-cyclical breast pain remains common in midlife.


The course reviews the evidence linking nutrition, alcohol intake, body composition, and physical activity to benign breast conditions and breast cancer risk. While data on specific foods and supplements are limited, clear patterns emerge: alcohol increases breast cancer risk in a dose-dependent manner, postmenopausal obesity raises risk through adipose-derived estrogen, and plant-forward dietary patterns are associated with lower risk.


The session concludes with practical, evidence-aligned guidance clinicians can use immediately, focusing on modifiable lifestyle behaviors, Mediterranean-style eating patterns, and whole-food approaches to support breast health in midlife women.

  • Instructors

    Helen Cappuccino, MD, FACS

  • 1h 15min

    Video duration

  • 1 Presentation Powerpoint File

    Included with 73 slides

  • 1 Quiz

    Masterclass Outline

    Perry academy Instructor

    Helen Cappuccino, MD, FACS

    Helen Cappuccino MD, FACS

    Breast Surgeon
    Dr. Helen H. Cappuccino is a board-certified breast surgeon at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center with more than three decades of clinical, research, and teaching experience in benign and malignant breast disease, high-risk patient management, and gender-affirming care. 

    A graduate of the University at Buffalo’s Honors College and School of Medicine, she has authored key textbook chapters for Scientific American and the American College of Surgeons, published widely in breast oncology and surgical science, and holds faculty appointments at SUNY Buffalo and the University of Rochester. 

    She serves as a volunteer medical examiner for Physicians for Human Rights and has held leadership roles across major civic and cultural institutions in Western New York. Her career has been recognized with multiple Castle Connolly Top Doctor awards, the University at Buffalo Distinguished Alumna honor, and several regional and national leadership awards.
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