Both women and men can get the disease, but women are 100 times more likely to get it than men. While you can't guarantee the prevention of breast cancer by exercising, eating healthily, and being aware of changes in your body, such actions that are normally attributed to a healthy lifestyle can greatly reduce the risk of breast cancer. Also, it is the fifth leading cause of death by cancer in women worldwide. These breast cancer statistics are certainly sobering, but they help us put the problem into a perspective that translates to a dire need for women to take preventative steps throughout their lives, not just when they become candidates for mammography around age 40.

At minimum, women should be performing self-breast examinations once a month and getting breast health exams from their physicians at least once annually. Self-examinations are key. Monthly self-exams for pre-menopausal women should be done several days after menstruation to get the most accurate results. Menopausal women should perform their self-exams on the same day of each month.

Genetics and environmental factors certainly play a part in the development of breast cancer, but even if you have no incidence of it in your family, you shouldn't rely on genetic luck alone to keep you in the clear. Living healthily is a major key to breast cancer prevention. Alcohol, for instance, should be used in moderation and use of tobacco should be limited, if not cut out altogether. We've already mentioned healthy eating, exercise, and self-breast exams, but there are also behaviors that put us at risk that are well within our abilities to control. Both of these behaviors have been linked to higher incidence of breast cancer in women, not to mention all the other health problems that can arise. Overweight and obese women are also at greater risk, especially if the weight was gained post-menopause.

Next time you're with a group of friends, in a mall or on a crowded street, remember this: 1 in 8 women born in the U.S. will get breast cancer. While some of us are more at risk than others, either due to genetics, environmental factors, lifestyle choices or a combination thereof, none of us are immune or invincible. This alone is good enough reason to become more aware and to spread that awareness to everyone you know.

There is no known breast cancer medication or "cure" as of yet, but a great deal of scientific energy is being channeled toward that end. Thankfully, there are numerous research foundations, societies and organizations large and small wholeheartedly dedicated to this fight. The battle for each of us as individuals, however, begins at home. Whether we have been diagnosed with breast cancer or not, we can all play a part in spreading awareness and valuable breast cancer info . Prevention and early detection are the best assurances we have. And sometimes, no matter what we do to reduce our risk, we still end up on the front lines among the 12.7% of women in the United States who will develop the disease at some point during their lives.