Breast Cancer Awareness And Risks

An estimated one in eight women will be afflicted with breast cancer in her lifetime. Although there is no guaranteed protection against the disease, there are things you can do to lower your risk, such as eating a high-fiber diet and maintaining a healthy weight.

Although no single lifestyle change can provide complete protection, some experts believe that cruciferous vegetables, dark leafy greens, carrots, and tomatoes can lower your breast cancer risk.

Age is a major identifiable risk factor. More than 80% of breast cancer cases occur in women over age 50, and especially in women over age 65. The odds by age are as follows:

• From ages 30 - 39, a woman’s chance for being diagnosed with breast cancer is 1 in 233
• Ages 40 - 49, the odds are 1 in 69
• Ages 50 - 59, the odds are 1 in 38
• Ages 60 - 69, the odds are 1 in 27
• Ages 70 - 79, the odds are 1 in 11
• After age 80, the odds are 1 in 8

Exercise can help reduce body fat, which in turn lowers levels of cancer-promoting hormones such as estrogen. The best advice is to eat a well-balanced diet and avoid focusing on one "cancer-fighting" food. The American Cancer Society’s dietary guidelines for cancer prevention recommend that people:

• Choose foods and amounts that promote a healthy weight.
• Eat 5 or more servings of fruits and vegetables each day.
• Choose whole grains instead of refined grain products.
• Limit consumption of processed and red meat.
• Women should limit alcohol consumption to 1 drink per day (women at high risk for breast cancer should consider not drinking alcohol at all).

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(information courtesy Quality Health)