Breast Cancer Prevention: 6 Ways to Reduce Your Risk
October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. The month is marked in countries worldwide every year, to help increase attention and support for the awareness, early detection and treatment of the disease. Breast cancer is by far the most common cancer in women worldwide, with 1.38 million new cases and 458,000 deaths each year. Early detection can help treat the killer disease, but it is far more-safer to take preventive action.
Here are 5 preventive measure you can take to reduce your risk of the killer disease.
- Limit alcohol intake - The more alcohol you drink, the greater your risk of developing breast cancer. The general recommendation is to limit yourself to less than one drink a day, as even small amounts increase risk.
- Don't smoke - Evidence suggests a link between smoking and breast cancer risk, particularly in premenopausal women.
- Control your weight - Being overweight or obese increases the risk of breast cancer. This is especially true if obesity occurs later in life, particularly after menopause.
- Be physically active - Physical activity can help you maintain a healthy weight, which helps prevent breast cancer.
- Breast-feed - Breast-feeding might play a role in breast cancer prevention. The longer you breast-feed, the greater the protective effect.
- Avoid exposure to radiation and environmental pollution - Medical-imaging methods, such as computerized tomography, use high doses of radiation. Reduce your exposure by having such tests only when absolutely necessary.
