It is estimated that 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed each year with breast cancer. While there have been significant improvements in treatments and outcomes, no one wants to think about coping with breast cancer. There are ways to reduce your risk though, through healthy lifestyle changes.
Number one of course is to quit, or more importantly not start, smoking. Smoking raises your risk of many health complications and breast cancer is chief among them. Cutting down on alcohol consumption is wise too, as there is a correlation between levels of alcohol use and breast cancer. Maintaining a healthy weight will do a lot of your overall health, and combined with exercise can lower your risk for getting breast cancer as much as 20% Other factors include breastfeeding for as long as possible, decreasing any hormone treatment if possible and limiting exposure to radiation. While there is no magic bullet that can protect a woman from breast cancer, initiating some changes in daily habits can go a long way towards keeping breast cancer away, even for women who are genetically at a higher risk of developing the disease.
