5 Things You Can Do Now To Help Prevent Breast Cancer
Wine may not be your friend when it comes to breast cancer risk (photo: Wiki media)A couple of days ago, a study made headlines reporting that walking an hour a day had been found to reduce the chances of breast cancer. Published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers, and Prevention and sponsored by the American Cancer Society, the study found an inverse association between exercise and breast cancer in post-menopausal women. Meaning the more physically active a woman was, the lower her breast cancer risk.
Moderate physical activity reduced breast cancer risk by 14 percent, while "vigorous" physical activity (bicycling, jogging, aerobics etc in addition to walking) reduced breast cancer risk even more - by 25 percent.
The research came on the heels of another study published in May in the same journal, this time involving younger women, which found that exercise affects the way women's bodies handle estrogen.
Both studies show something important: We aren't powerless over breast cancer. Yes, it happens, and yes it's scary. But there are things we can do now that can protect ourselves. The first one, of course, is exercise, as often and as much as you can make time for. Here are 4 more things you can do that research shows lower breast cancer risk.
2. Drop Those Extra Pounds
Sorry, no one wants to hear this one, but the evidence is pretty strong. There are lots of studies, and lots of ways to quantify it, but in a nutshell, according to the Surgeon General, gaining more than 20 pounds between age 18 and midlife double their risk of postmenopausal breast cancer.
One cancer researcher, Anne McTiernan of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, says that a quarter of all breast cancer cases could be prevented by women achieving and maintaining a healthy weight. The simplest explanation: estrogen is stored in fat tissue, and extra estrogen raises breast cancer risk.
3. Put Away the Wine Bottle
If your evening ritual glass of wine is typically more like two or three glasses, take note. Studies have shown that drinking two or more alcoholic drinks a day raises your risk of breast cancer by at least 20 percent. (I say "at least" because there are many different studies, done in many different ways, but a 20 percent risk elevation is one of the more conservative.)
And the amount in a "serving" of alcohol is a lot less than you probably think it is; just 5 ounces of wine or 12 ounces of beer. Scientists believe the reason for this is that alcohol changes the way your body metabolizes estrogen, elevating estrogen levels.
The risk also seems to go up the younger you are when you incorporate the drinking ritual. A new study out last month found that women who were regular imbibers prior to their first pregnancy had a higher incidence of breast abnormalities associated with later cancer development.
4. Know Your Breast Tissue Density
Hopefully, you've heard by now that having dense breast tissue raises your risk of breast cancer. But here's the more important issue: Do you know whether you fall in this category? Breast tissue varies greatly in how dense it is, which means that it has more fibrous and glandular tissue and less fat.
If you don't know where you fall on the spectrum, talk to your doctor and find out. (Or ask during your next mammogram.) It's important, because if you fall into the 66 percent of pre-menopausal women (and 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.