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Every time you eat, you are making a choice that either increases or decreases your cancer risk. That is not a wellness influencer talking. That is one of the country’s leading breast cancer surgeons – and in this episode she explains exactly what the science says and what you can do about it.
Dr. Kristi Funk is a board-certified breast cancer surgeon, bestselling author of BREASTS: The Owner’s Manual, and the founder of Pink Lotus in Los Angeles. She has helped thousandsof women through breast cancer diagnosis and treatment – and has made lifestyle medicine a cornerstone of everything she does. In this conversation with Dr. Stephan Esser, she shares her own story of transformation, the science that changedhow she practices medicine, and the practical tools every woman needs to know.
ABOUT DR. KRISTI FUNK
Dr. Kristi Funk is a board-certified breast cancer surgeon, bestselling author, international keynote speaker, and women’s health advocate. She is the founder of Pink Lotus, a breast health center in Los Angeles, and the author of BREASTS: The Owner’s Manual. Her work has been featured on Good Morning America, The Doctors, and in thousands of publications worldwide. She will be a keynote speaker at the NHA Annual Conference, June 25 to 28, 2026.
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN IN THIS EPISODE
- The nine daily choices that affect nine biological processes tied to cancer risk
- Why Dr. Funk went fully plant-based in a single day after reading the research for her book
- The real numbers on alcohol and breast cancer risk
- Why sleep may be the most overlooked lifestyle factor in fighting cancer
- What to watch for in personal care products, cookware, and your water supply
- The BCAC framework and why it matters before, during, and after a diagnosisHow to join Dr. Funk’s online community and cooking classes
EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
The Day the Science Changed Everything
Dr. Funk did not set out to become a plant-based physician. She was writing her book, BREASTS: The Owner’s Manual, and diving into nutritional science for the first time in her career. Her goal was to confirm what she already believed – that the Mediterranean diet she followed (lots of fish, lean meats, fruits and vegetables) was the gold standard for breast health.
The science disagreed. So thoroughly and so clearly that in a single day of reading, Dr. Funk ran downstairs, called her triplet boys in from camp, flung open the refrigerator, and announced that the family was going vegan. They have been 100% plant-based ever since. The moment matters not just as a story. It illustrates the kind of evidence that changed a practicing surgeon’s mind – and why she now makes lifestyle medicine a core part of every patient conversation.
Alcohol and Breast Cancer: The Numbers You Need to Know
Dr. Funk is direct on this topic. There is no safe amount of alcohol when it comes to breast cancer risk. One drink per day increases risk by 10%. Two drinks a day
raises it by 30%. Three drinks a day by 40%. The mechanism is important. Alcohol converts to acetaldehyde in the body, a potent carcinogen that damages DNA and impairs immune function. It also disrupts the microbiome, including the estrobolome: a collection of gut bacteria responsible for clearing excess estrogen. Since 80% of breast cancers are estrogen-fueled, that disruption has direct consequences.
And then there is sleep. One single night of only four hours of sleep has been shown to reduce natural killer cells… the immune cells that detect and destroy cancer –by 28%. Alcohol disrupts sleep. The two compound each other.
The Nine Nines Framework
At the NHA Annual Conference in June, Dr. Funk will be presenting what she calls the Nine Nines: nine choices you make every single day (whether you know it or not) that affect nine processes in your body that either push you toward cancer or away.
The nine choices are: nutrition, exercise, body weight, risky substances like alcohol and tobacco, environmental toxicities, emotional stress, fasting, sleep, and hormone therapy use.
She offered a preview in this episode, but the full framework, the science behind each choice, and the practical application are what she will walk through at the conference. It is one of the most concrete cancer-prevention frameworks available and it is built entirely on lifestyle, not medication.
From C to B Plus: A Realistic Roadmap
One of the most useful moments in this conversation is Dr. Funk’s framing of realistic change. She is not asking anyone to overhaul their entire life overnight. She is asking people to look at their current choices – diet, movement, sleep, what they put on and in their bodies, and ask whether they can move from a C to a B plus.
The BCAC framework she describes captures this well: before cancer, after cancer, and with cancer, the same principles apply. Whatever choices allowed cancer to take hold cannot simply be resumed after treatment ends. But the good news, she says, is thatyou have far more control over your health destiny than you may have been led to believe.
JOIN DR. FUNK AT THE NHA CONFERENCE
Dr. Kristi Funk will be a keynote speaker at the NHA Annual Conference, June 25 to 28, 2026. She will present the full Nine Nines framework – nine daily choices, nine biological processes, and the science behind each one.
–> Register for the 2026 NHA Conference
LINKS AND RESOURCES
Make an appointment or Telehealth: https://pinklotus.com/care or call 833-800-7522
Cancer-Kicking Kitchen (Cook Live with Chrissy and Dr. Kristi)
Follow Dr. Funk on Instagram and X: @drkristifunk
Follow Dr. Esser on Instagram and Facebook: @esserhealth
NHA Annual Conference (June 25 to 28, 2026)
ABOUT NHA TODAY
NHA Today is the official podcast of the National Health Association, one of the oldest health science organizations in the world, founded in the 1940s. Hosted by Dr. Stephan Esser, MD, a fourth-generation plant-based eater and grandson of NHA co-founder Dr. William L. Esser, the show delivers science-based, practical conversations to helpyou live your most vital life. New episodes every week.
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