Risk Factors You Can Change
Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT). It was not so long ago that many women were put on HRT to reduce the symptoms of menopause and to decrease risk of osteoporosis. Then, scientists found that both estrogen replacement therapy and combined estrogen/progesterone HRT significantly increased risk of breast cancer. This risk seems to go back to normal after women stop using them.
Birth Control. Birth control slightly increases the risk of breast cancer; women who have stopped using oral contraceptives over ten years ago have no increased risk.
Alcohol. Shucks, why does all the fun stuff have to be bad? Having more than one drink a day increases a woman’s risk of getting breast cancer and this risk follows in a dose-dependent fashion, meaning more drinks, more risk. But having one drink—make it stiff!—does not increase risk and may be heart healthy.
Obesity. Fat cells, besides making the back of your legs look like a tub of cottage cheese, also produce estrogen. The more fat cells you have, the more estrogen your breasts are exposed to and the higher risk you have of getting breast cancer. Which is another reason to…
Exercise. Four or more hours a week may reduce the amount of circulating estrogen, reduce weight, and decrease cancer risk.
Diet. There has not been conclusive evidence about eating a low fat diet in relation to breast cancer, but there is some evidence linking a diet rich in carotenes (from fruits and vegetables) to reduced breast cancer (and pretty much all cancer) risk. In fact, the National Cancer Institutes says “a diet rich in beta-carotene, folate, and vitamins A and C may reverse the higher risk of breast cancer linked to alcohol use.” Yes! I will drink a Bloody Mary to that.
Smoking. The link between breast cancer and cigarette smoking is unclear. Active cigarette smoking has not been found to increase the risk of breast cancer, but secondhand smoke has.
Because so many of the things that predispose us to getting breast cancer are things we cannot change, early detection seems pretty important. I guess that makes my aversion to self-breast exams slightly careless. Maybe looking for something bad is good after all.
