How to Live a Healthy Lifestyle to Reduce Your Risk of Breast Cancer?

- Neglecting - September 13, 2023

Breast cancer is emerging as a major health issue for most women in the United States and worldwide. While there is no confirmed way to prevent breast cancer, women can take vital steps to reduce their risk. Adopting a healthy lifestyle is a necessary approach. In this article, we will specifically discuss the significance of a healthy lifestyle in breast cancer prevention and provide helpful information on its symptoms, warning signs, causes, and when it usually begins.

What Is The 1st Symptom Of Breast Cancer?

A lump or thickening in the breast is a common early sign of breast cancer, but it varies from person to person. It’s crucial to note that not all breast lumps are cancerous and can occur due to various benign conditions. On the other hand, any unusual changes in the breast should be examined by a healthcare professional right away.

What are the 5 Alarming Signs of Breast Cancer?

  1. Breast Lump: As previously stated, a new lump or mass in the breast or underarm area is a common warning sign.
  2. Changes in Breast Size or Shape: Breast size, shape, or unexplained symmetry changes should be evaluated.
  3. Skin Changes: This can include redness, dimpling, or puckering of the breast skin, which may have an orange peel texture.
  4. Nipple Changes: Changes in nipple position, nipple discharge (other than breast milk in nursing mothers), or an inverted nipple should all be suspected.
  5. Pain: While breast cancer is usually not painful in its early stages, some people may experience breast pain or discomfort.

What is Breast Cancer Caused by?

Breast cancer is not caused by a single reason. It’s thought to be caused by genetic, hormonal, environmental, and lifestyle factors. A long or short family history of breast cancer, genetic mutations (such as BRCA1 and BRCA2), hormonal factors (early menstruation, late menopause, hormone replacement therapy), and lifestyle choices (smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, unhealthy diet, lack of physical activity) are some of the known risk factors.

What Age Does Breast Cancer Start?

Breast cancer can attack women of any age, but it is more common in older women. Breast cancer risk ultimately increases with age, and most cases occur in women over 50. Breast cancer can occur in younger women, so women of all ages must be vigilant about their breast health.

Healthy Lifestyle Tips for Reducing Breast Cancer Risk

Now that we’ve covered some basic breast cancer information let’s look at some lifestyle changes you can make to lower your risk:

  1. Maintain a Healthy Weight

Being overweight or obese highly increases the risk of developing breast cancer. Focus on a balanced diet and daily exercise to achieve and maintain a healthy weight.

  1. Be Physically Active

Aim for 150 minutes of moderate-intensity weekly workout or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity exercise. Exercise not only aids you in maintaining a healthy weight but also lessens your risk of developing breast cancer.

  1. Limit Alcohol Intake

Alcoholism has been linked to a huge risk of breast cancer. If you choose to drink, do so in moderation, which for women generally means no more than one drink per day.

  1. Eat a Healthy Diet

Reduce processed foods, sugary drinks, and red or processed meats while emphasizing a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins.

  1. Breastfeed

If possible, breastfeeding your child for at least 12 months may reduce your risk of breast cancer.

  1. Don’t Smoke

Tobacco use is the most common risk factor for breast cancer. Quitting smoking can have various health benefits, including a lower risk of breast cancer.

  1. Get Regular Mammograms

Mammograms are critical for identifying breast cancer early. Women should begin getting mammograms at 45, and the timing should be discussed with their healthcare provider.

The Takeaway

While there is no surefire way to immediately prevent breast cancer, a healthy lifestyle can significantly lower your risk. It’s critical to stay informed, get regular checkups, understand your family history, and be aware of breast cancer warning signs and symptoms. Remember that you are not alone and that there are resources to help you on your path to breast cancer prevention and early detection. Prioritize your health and well-being by making informed decisions, and always seek personalized advice from healthcare professionals. Your health is essential, and taking proactive measures can significantly reduce your chances of breast cancer

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12 Risks of Neglecting the Breast Cancer Symptoms

- Neglecting - May 1, 2018

According to research, your risk for breast cancer is caused by a combination of factors. Being a woman and getting older are the two most important risk factors, and most breast cancers are found in women over 50.

Some women will develop breast cancer despite having no other known risk factors. The presence of a risk factor does not guarantee that you will develop the disease, and not all risk factors have the same effect. Although most women have some risk factors, the majority of women do not develop breast cancer. If you have breast cancer risk factors, talk to your doctor about ways to reduce your risk and breast cancer screening.

Risk Factors of Breast Cancer You Cannot Change

Here are some of the associated risk factors of breast cancer symptoms that can lead to horrendous and life-threatening results if not treated in time and with care;

  1. A woman who has had cancer in one breast, such as pancreatic adenocarcinoma in situ (DCIS) or invasive breast cancer, is three to four times more likely to develop new breast cancer in either the other breast or another part of the same breast than is unrelated to the first. This is not the same as a recurrence of previous breast cancer.
  2. As you get older, your risk increases. Every year, approximately 77% of women diagnosed with breast cancer are over the age of 50, and more than 40% are 65 and older. Breast cancer has a 1 in 68 chance of developing in women aged 40 to 50. From 50 to 60, it rises to 1 in 42. From 50 to 60, it rises to 1 in 42. It’s one in 28 from 60 to 70. It is also 1 in 26 women aged 70 and up.
  3. A woman is more likely to develop breast cancer if she has a mother, sister, or daughter (a “first-degree” relative). It’s even worse if this relative had breast cancer before age 50 and had cancer in both breasts. A first-degree relative with breast cancer roughly doubles your risk, and two first-degree relatives nearly triple your risk. Having a male blood relative with breast cancer raises the risk even more.
  4. Breast cancer is inherited in about 5% to 10% of cases, and BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutation carriers are more likely to develop breast cancer. Women with an inherited BRCA1 gene mutation have a 72% chance of developing breast cancer by age 80. A woman with an inherited alteration in the BRCA2 gene has a 69% chance of developing breast cancer by that age.
  5. Your breasts are made up of a combination of fatty, fibrous, and glandular tissue. Breasts that are dense have more glandular and fibrous tissue and less fat. Breast cancer is 1.5 to 2 times more likely in women with dense breasts.
  6. Atypical hyperplasia (lobular or ductal) or lobular carcinoma in situ increases a woman’s risk of developing breast cancer by four to five times.
  7. Breast cancer in second or third-degree relatives, such as aunts, grandmothers, and cousins, is referred to as this.
  8. Women with a history of fibroadenomas with complex features, hyperplasia without atypia, sclerosing adenosis, or solitary papilloma are at a slightly higher risk.
  9. If you received radiation treatment to your chest before the age of 30, most likely to treat cancers such as lymphoma.
  10. Your risk is increased if a family member is diagnosed with ovarian cancer before the age of 50.
  11. White and African-American women are more likely to get it than Hispanic, Asian/Pacific Islander, and Native American women in the United States.
  12. Between 1940 and 1971, many women were given this medication to prevent miscarriage. If you or your mother have it, your chances of developing breast cancer increase.

Risk Factors You Can Change

Here are some risk factors you can change with the right practice of everything in life to overcome this deadly and lethal disease.

  1. Being overweight after menopause raises your chances.
  2. Breast cancer has been linked to alcohol. Women who drink one alcoholic drink per day have a very small increase in risk compared to non-drinkers, and moderate drinkers (2 to 3 drinks per day) have about a 20% higher risk.
  3. Long-term estrogen and progesterone use raise the risk of developing breast cancer. This risk appears to disappear after five years of not using them.
  4. If you don’t exercise, your chances increase.
  5. Having your first child after age 30 or never having a full-term pregnancy increases your risk, and neither does breastfeeding.

The Final Words

You may be at a higher risk of developing breast cancer if you have a strong family history of the disease or inherited changes in your BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes. You may also be predisposed to ovarian cancer.

Consult your doctor about ways to lower your risks, such as medications that block or reduce estrogen levels in your body or surgery.