Breast cancer has been trending upwards in last few decades globally. Over 100,000 new breast cancer patients are estimated to be diagnosed annually in India. Moreover, breast cancer tends to affect Indian women at a younger age compared to their western counterparts.
Breast Cancer Risk Factors:
There are several factors that increase the risk of developing breast cancer and there are some factors that have been found to have protective effects as well. While you may not be able to do much to change the risk factors like increasing age and family history of breast cancer, taking control of following aspects of your life can reduce the risk of breast cancer.
1.Physical Activity: Higher physical activity is associated with a lower risk for developing breast cancer.
2.Diet: Eating a diet rich in fruits, vegetables and fiber and lower in saturated fats is believed to be associated with lower risk of breast cancer. Also, there may be some evidence that vegetarians have a lower risk of breast cancer.
3.Obesity: Obesity is associated with increased risk of breast cancer.
4.Breast-feeding: There is some evidence that mothers who breast feed their children are at a lower risk of breast cancer than those who don’t.
5.Alcohol use: Alcohol use increases the risk of breast cancer and the risk increases with the increase in amount of alcohol consumed.
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Reference:
Khokhar A. (2012). Breast cancer in India: where do we stand and where do we go? Asian Pacific J Cancer Prev, 13 (10), 4861-4866
