Breast cancer is preventable. Our lifestyle habits often make us vulnerable to this deadly breast disease. Although genetics accounts for about 5 percent breast cancer cases, our unhealthy habits often increase the risk of this disease.

Breast cancer prevention diet
Risk of breast cancer could be lowered with diet. A diet rich in fresh fruits and vegetables and low in saturated fats could protect you from cancer of the breasts. Studies have shown that people on low fat diet have a slightly lower risk of developing breast cancer. Not more than 10 percent of your daily calorie intake should comprise of saturated fats. It is adivisable to reduce the amount of animal fat in your diet to lower your breast cancer risk. To prevent fat build up in your body, remember to include dietary fibers in your diet. Leafy greens, vegetables, fruits and whole grains will supply your body fibers. Although your body could not digest fibers, these nutrients are essential for eliminating the excess fat from your body. A low fat, fiber rich diet also prevents weight gain. Excess body weight could increase your risk of breast cancer. Weight gain after menopause might raise breast cancer risk. Estrogen secreted by the fat cells in the abdominal area could trigger formation of malignant tissues in the breast.

Lifestyle modification
Heavy drinkers and smokers have a greater chance of developing breast cancer. By limiting intake of alcoholic drinks, you can prevent breast cancer. For healthy living, you should not take more than one drink a day.

Although cigarette smoking is not directly linked to breast cancer, but it can accelerate growth of both benign and malignant breast tumors.

Sedentary lifestyle could be responsible for your ill health. As obesity is one of the causes of breast cancer, to retain normal body mass you should exercise for at least 30 minutes, five times a day. Physical activities will not only reduce risk of breast cancer, but they can improve the optimum quality of your health.

Hormone replacement therapy and breast cancer
Although hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is a popular option for preventing physical discomforts during menopause, they might make a woman vulnerable to breast cancer. HRT delays menopause by supplying estrogen and/or progestin hormones to the body of an aging woman. A large number of studies have shown that HRT not only triggers hormone fed breast cancer but it even spreads the disease at a rapid pace.

Breastfeeding
Breastfeeding protects a woman from breast cancer. Studies have shown that women who do not breastfeed have a greater chance of developing breast cancer. High levels of oestradiol hormone produced during pregnancy to stimulate breast growth might even trigger growth of malignant tumors in the breast. Breastfeeding is a natural option for decreasing the oestradiol level. However, women who do not breastfeed and women who have had abortions have abnormally high levels of oestradiol that increases the risk of breast cancer.