Setting the Clocks Back: Bracing for the Darkness
Statistics show about one in eight women will develop invasive breast cancer over the course of her lifetime.
Breast cancer can happen to any one of us, however, we aren’t completely powerless over it.
We can try to prevent breast cancer by taking better care of ourselves.
Today, we share six ways to lower breast cancer risk.
Exercise
Exercise as often and as much as you can to lower your risk of breast cancer.
Having a physically active lifestyle can help prevent breast cancer.
A study published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers, and Prevention, and sponsored by the American Cancer Society, found an inverse association between exercise and breast cancer in post-menopausal women.
The more physically active you are on a regular basis, the lower your breast cancer risk.
Lose Weight
It’s important to maintain a healthy body weight to reduce your risk of breast cancer.
Anne McTiernan, a cancer researcher at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, says a quarter of all breast cancer cases could be prevented if women achieved and maintained a healthy weight. This is because estrogen is stored in fat tissue, and extra estrogen raises breast cancer risk.
If you are overweight you should try to lose weight to prevent breast cancer.
Cut Down Your Alcohol Intake
If you drink two or more alcoholic drinks a day your risk of breast cancer can increase significantly.
A meta-analysis of 53 studies, which included a total of 58,000 women with breast cancer, found women who drank more than three drinks a day (45 grams of alcohol per day) had 1.5 times the risk of developing breast cancer as non-drinkers.
The American Cancer Society now recommends women to limit alcohol intake to one serving or less a day to help prevent breast cancer.
Know Your Breast Tissue Density
If you don’t know how dense your breast tissue is you should visit your doctor to find out or ask during your next scheduled mammogram.
Breast tissue varies greatly in how dense it is, which means that it has more fibrous and glandular tissue as well as less fat.
Having dense breast tissue raises your risk of breast cancer, therefore it’s important to know your breast tissue density.
If you fall into the 66 percent of pre-menopausal women or 25 percent of post-menopausal women who have dense breast tissue, an annual mammogram may not be enough for you to monitor your breast health.
Consume More Antioxidants
Certain foods rich in bioflavonoids have been found to help prevent breast cancer, as well as other types of cancer.
Try to eat more brightly colored vegetables, fruits, beans, and legumes, all of which are particularly rich in antioxidants.
Quit Smoking to Prevent Breast Cancer
If you are a smoker, you should quit smoking to reduce your breast cancer risk.
Generally, people associate smoking with lung cancer, however smoking increases the risk of breast cancer in women.
A study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, which analyzed new breast cancer cases over a 13-year period, found the rate of new breast cancer diagnoses to be 24 percent higher in smokers than in nonsmokers as well as 13 percent higher in former smokers.
They also determined the risk to be higher in women who start smoking at a young age.
Following the above mentioned ways to take better care of yourself as well as visiting your doctor regularly to monitor your breast health can help lower your breast cancer risk.
About Council for Disability Awareness
Related posts
