Breast cancer is the most common disease for women and although it seems that the number of people diagnosed with this disease each year is decreasing, it is still the second leading cause of death for women (Heart disease is the number one cause).
One of the questions asked when someone is diagnosed with this illness often is: "What is causing it?" Well, there are several risk factors and although many of them are beyond our control, there are some risk factors you can control, such as weight, physical activity, smoking alcohol consumption, oral contraceptive use, Stress and anxiety,...
Weight:
Being overweight will increase the risk of developing this disease, especially for women after menopause. That is because the fat tissue is the main source of estrogen after menopause, when the ovaries stop producing the hormone. Having more fat tissue means having higher estrogen levels, which can increase the risk.
Diet:
Although studies have yet to show for sure which types of foods increase risk, your diet is a suspected risk factor for many types of cancer. Because they may contain hormones, other growth factors, antibiotics, and pesticides, it seems to be a good idea to restrict sources of red meat and other animal fats. It seems that eating too much cholesterol and other fats are risk factors for cancer too. A low-fat diet rich in fruits and vegetables is generally recommended.
Physical Activity:
Evidence is growing that the lack of exercise can be an risk factor too. The American Cancer Society recommends engaging in 45-60 minutes of physical exercise 5 or more days a week to prevent the development of breast cancer.
Alcohol Consumption:
Alcohol can limit the ability of your live to control blood levels of the hormone estrogen, which in turn can increase risk. Some researchers believe that even a drink a day can increase the risk of getting this disease.
Smoking:
Also Smoking is associated with a small increase in risk. Teenage girls who smoke increase their risk of developing breast cancer before they reach menopause and that's because cigarette smoke contains potent cancer-causing chemicals. Scientists have been able to show that these chemicals can cause breast cancer cells in laboratory cultures to become cancerous.
Recent oral contraceptive use:
Using so called birth control pills appears to slightly increase the risk for developing breast cancer, but only for a limited period of time. Women who stopped using oral contraceptives more than 10 years ago do not appear to have any increased risk.
Stress and anxiety:
Although there is no real and clear proof that stress and anxiety can increase breast cancer risk, most researchers suggest that anything you can do to reduce stress will help you prevent the development of this cancer.
Whichever the possibility, this disease should not be taken lightly. An early checkup, consultation and detection from doctors trough a mammogramwill certainly help to manage or better still, avoid breast cancer.
