There’s so much information about preventing breast cancer that after you’re done going through the maze of research, you can’t even remember what you read.
It’s time we all got a clear picture of what we can do to prevent breast cancer. So, we’ve put a list of information that could help you sort through the maze.
Will you get breast cancer if your grandmother had it?
First of all, just because your grandmother or even mother had breast cancer, doesn’t mean you’ll get it too. Researchers used to think women with strong family history of breast cancer had five times the risk of the disease. However, according to new research, those women are only 2.5 times more likely to develop cancer by age 70.
Alcohol and smoking increase your risk
Smoking alone can shoot your risk through the ceiling. Scientific studies also show that drinking about 1 1/2 to two drinks a day can increase your risk by 50%. This is because alcohol boosts your estrogen levels thus, increasing your breast cancer risk.
You might also like: Three Common Everyday Chemicals That Cause Breast Cancer
East less fat and more vegetables
Frying or grilling certain foods releases cancer causing substances from foods more easily than roasting or stewing the same foods. So, yes dietary habits do affect your risk. On the other hand, eating cabbage, carrots, brocolli, brussels sprouts and cauliflower as well as other foods rich in calcium, vitamin A and D seems to lower the risk. In fact, foods such as yellow squash, carrots, spinach and sweet potatoes that are rich in vitamin A are especially important. Eating one of these a day can lower your risk by 20%.
Exercise early and often
Exercising from teenage years to at least age 40 can cut your breast cancer risk by more than half. A study of over 1000 women has shown that women who exercise four hours a week from the time they start their periods til the age of 40 reduce their risk by 60%. The theory is that the teenagers don’t ovulate even though they are having periods. Without ovulation, the amounts of female hormones linked to breast tumors are reduced.
Exercising as a older woman til age 40 can make you ovulate later in your monthly cycle. This late ovulation means smaller amounts of female hormones are present in the body.
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