Ways You Can Reduce Your Risk Of Breast Cancer

As you may know, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. In a few days, you will start to see pink pretty much everywhere you look. You will also be bombarded with all sorts of information about how to prevent breast cancer, how to know if you have it, what you can do if you are diagnosed, etc. It can be hard to keep everything straight in your head. Even so, it is important that we as women know these things because breast cancer can be devastating to people who have it, as well as their families. I know this from experience; my mother died from breast cancer in 1998. While I have no idea what caused her to get it and she is in a better place now, I want to learn what I can because this illness has a strong genetic factor. Even if it doesn't run in your family, it helps to know what you can do to reduce your risk. Here are a few tips I've come across.

One thing that can help lower the risk of breast cancer is keeping a healthy weight. As though we didn't have enough reasons to watch our weight, fat cells produce estrogen. If there is too much estrogen in the body, breast cancer can develop because many cancers 'feed off' of the hormones in our body. This is one reason hormone replacement therapy (HRT) has been linked to breast cancer; if you can find some other way of dealing with the problems associated with menopause, as well as starting a healthy regimen of diet and exercise, you can greatly increase your risk of breast cancer. You'll also feel and look better, which can be a motivator in and of itself!

You can also reduce your risk of breast cancer by watching what you eat. Limiting your consumption of animal fats and having a diet high in fiber and fresh vegetables can go a long way in reducing your breast cancer risk. In addition to just being tasty, vegetables such as broccoli and cabbage contain chemicals called 'indoles' that block excess estrogen and convert it into a chemical that helps keep breast cancer cells from developing. Also, some of the pesticides used on produce have been linked to increased rates of breast cancer, so check out the organic section of the store or take a trip to a local farmers' market. They usually have a lot of things you can't get anywhere else anyway, so this just gives you another excuse. :)

This might seem strange, but breast-feeding having children earlier in life might also help reduce your risk. However early we might have started growing breasts, it seems that the tissue doesn't fully 'grow up' until a woman goes through a pregnancy. This makes sense if you think about it, considering that the reason we even have breasts is to feed a baby! Well, that, and to help us look cute in sundresses. :) Once this tissue begins to 'mature', it grows in such a way that makes it more resistant to the type of hormone disruptions that have been seen to be associated with breast cancer. The decision to have children and/or to breast-feed is a very personal one so I'm not trying to tell you what to do, but it gives those of us with higher risk factors (like me) something to think about.

Now, for the obvious:

Don't smoke! Also, lower your consumption of alcohol. I think we all know that smoking causes a lot of problems, but excess alcohol can damage the liver, which means that it isn't as able to help fight the effects of excess hormones. I'm not saying don't drink at all, but going overboard or having several drinks a day can increase your risk of breast cancer. While there may be benefits to having wine with dinner or whatnot, don't overdo it.

If I listed all of the ways to reduce breast cancer risk, I'd be here all day. Websites such as About.com or WebMD are great places to look if you want more information. Also, your doctor may have a few ideas. It's definitely worth asking about! You owe it to yourself to do what you can to live the most healthy life possible.