Every woman wants to know what she can do to reduce her risk of breast cancer. Some factors are tied to the development of breast cancer-as a woman, for example, your age, your genes cannot be changed. Other factors – being overweight, lack of exercise, smoking, eating unhealthy foods – can be changed through choices. By making the healthiest lifestyle choices, you can empower yourself and minimize your risk of breast cancer.
The following are risk factors for breast cancer and how to reduce your risk.
Identified Risks
I. Being a woman
Being a woman is the most risk factor for breast cancer. According to the United States, there are approximately 190,000 new cases of invasive breast cancer and 60,000 new cases of non-invasive breast cancer this year.
II. Age
As with other diseases, your risk of developing breast cancer increases as you get older, with about two-thirds of invasive breast cancers occurring in women over the age of 55.
III. Family Factors
The risk is increased if a close relative has a diagnosis of breast cancer. If your immediate female family members (mom, sister, daughter) are diagnosed with breast cancer, your risk will be doubled.
IV. Genes
Nearly 5% to 10% of breast cancer patients are thought to be caused by abnormal genes passed down from parents to their children.
V. Personal history of breast cancer
If you have been diagnosed with breast cancer, you will have 3 to 4 times the risk of developing a new lesion in the other breast or a different part of the same breast. This risk is distinct from the risk of recurrence of the original cancer.
VI. Receiving radiation to the face or chest before age 30
Receiving radiation therapy (not breast cancer) for the treatment of another type of chest tumor, such as Hodgkin’s disease or non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, will increase the risk of breast cancer. If you are treated for acne with radiation therapy during adolescence, you will also be at increased risk of breast cancer.
VII. Certain breast changes
If you are diagnosed with certain benign breast tumors, the risk of developing breast cancer will increase. There are several types of benign breast lesions that increase the risk of developing breast cancer.
VIII. Race
White women have a higher risk of breast cancer than African-American, Latina and Asian women. African-American women are more likely to develop more aggressive, malignant breast cancer at a younger age.
Overweight
Overweight and obese women have a higher risk of developing breast cancer compared to women who maintain a healthy weight, especially postmenopausal women, and being overweight also puts breast cancer patients at a much higher risk of recurrence.
X. History of pregnancy
Women who did not have a full-term pregnancy or who had their first child after 30 have an increased risk of breast cancer than women who gave birth before the age of 30.
History of breastfeeding
Breastfeeding may reduce the risk of breast cancer, especially if breastfeeding for more than one year.
XII. History of menstruation
Women who menstruate before the age of 12 and enter menopause after the age of 55 have a higher risk of breast cancer.
XIII. Use of hormone replacement therapy
Women who are receiving or have received HRT have a higher risk of developing breast cancer.
XIV. Alcohol consumption
Studies consistently show that consumption of alcoholic beverages such as beer, wine and liquor increases the risk of breast cancer.
Dense breasts
Studies show that dense breasts increase a woman’s risk of breast cancer by six times and make it more difficult to diagnose.
Lack of exercise
Studies show that 4-7 hours of exercise per week can effectively reduce the risk of breast cancer.
Smoking
Smoking causes many diseases and increases the risk of breast cancer in premenopausal women. Studies have also shown that severe exposure to secondhand smoke also contributes to the risk of breast cancer in premenopausal women.
Additional risks
Low vitamin D levels
Studies have shown that women with low vitamin D levels have a higher risk of breast cancer. Vitamin D may play an important role in maintaining normal breast cell growth and may be able to prevent the growth of breast cancer cells.
II. Light exposure at night
Several studies have shown that women who work at night, such as factory workers, doctors, nurses and police officers, have an increased risk of breast cancer. Other studies have shown that women living in areas with high external light exposure have a higher risk of breast cancer.
III. Exposure to DES
From the 1940s to the 1960s, some pregnant women were given DES to prevent miscarriage, and women taking DES were themselves at a higher risk of breast cancer, and some women received DES while their mothers were pregnant, which also increased the risk of breast cancer for these women later in life.
Eat unhealthy food
Diet is thought to be a factor in 30% to 40% of all cancers that cause cancer. No food or diet can keep you away from breast cancer. However, there are some foods that can make your body the healthiest, strengthen your immune system and help you minimize your risk of breast cancer as much as possible.
V. Use cosmetics regularly
Studies have shown that chemicals in cosmetics may increase a woman’s risk of breast cancer.
Six, chemicals in food
The real things to worry about are pesticides, antibiotics and hormones that are administered to crops and livestock that can cause health problems in people, including an increased risk of breast cancer. There is also mercury in seafood and the presence of industrial chemicals in food and food packaging.
VII. Chemical Exposure in Plastics
Research strongly suggests that a certain amount of exposure to chemicals in plastic products, such as BPA, may lead to cancer.
VIII. Exposure to chemicals in sunscreens
When chemicals block intense UV exposure also means an increased risk of cancer at the same time.