TOP 10 WAYS TO PREVENT BREAST CANCER
The most widespread type of cancer in women from both the developed and the developing countries is breast cancer.
The WHO (World Health Organization) is constantly raising awareness to the ever increasing number of potential breast cancer victims. By 2020, every 1 out of 8 women would be likely to develop breast cancer at some point in her life.
The last 2 decades in India, for example, were marked for the sharp increase in breast cancer cases. These have even outnumbered the cases of cervical cancer, previously believed to be the most frequent and the most lethal, too.
While no reliable means to prevent breast cancer is currently available, women need to know that certain practices can indeed minimize the risk. Those on whom many specialists in the field are united are listed below:
1. Weight: Excessive weight ranks as a top risk-increasing factor of cancer in post-menopausal women. Middle-aged women should beware not to put on too much weight over time. A healthy body-mass index (BMI) for them would be such below 25.
2. Alcohol: It has been confirmed that the intake of alcohol is closely related to breast cancer. Research indicates that women who tend to drink more than one alcoholic beverage a day increase their own risk of breast cancer by 20-25%.
3. Fresh fruit and vegetables: One’s daily diet should abound in fruit and vegetables. A lot of recent articles praise cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cabbage, brussels sprouts, cauliflower), dark leafy greens (collards, kale, spinach), carrots and tomatoes as some of the vegetables that are especially pertinent to breast cancer prevention. Types of fruit with the same function include citrus, berries and cherries.
4. Physical activity: According to scientific investigations, regular training reduces the overall risk of breast cancer by 10 to 30%. Less strenuous activities, such as a 30-minute walk every day, are strongly recommended.
5. Carbohydrates: Items of food that have high glycemic index (white flour, white rice, white potatoes and sugar) are to be avoided. They give rise to certain hormonal changes that lead to cellular growth in the breast tissue. You can efficiently substitute them with wholegrains and beans or legumes which are rich in fiber and lignan.
6. Fats: You might not know it but oil is also linked to the breast cancer risk. Some types of oil, or fat, among which the omega-6 fats, the saturated fats and the trans-fats, are harmful to the body. Experts, on the other hand, assert that omega-3 fats should be firmly incorporated in the menu. They are primarily found in salmon, tuna, mackerel, lake trout, herring and sardines. Nutritionists also recommend the use of vegetable oils over animal fats. Moreover, olive oil, canola and avocadoes have been long ago proven to protect against cancer.
7. Smoking: Plenty of sources point to the fact that smoking on a regular basis drastically increases the risk of breast cancer in some women.
8. Breastfeeding: You may be surprised to learn that breastfeeding for at least a year substantially lowers the risk of breast cancer at a later stage in life.
9. Drugs: These days, more and more specialists utilize tamoxifen (an estrogen
antagonist) in the treatment of estrogen receptor positive breast cancer. Along with that, this substance reduces the risk of a second primary breast cancer by 50% in women who were administered this medication as a subsidiary therapy for a first breast cancer.
10. Bilateral mastectomy: This is the procedure of removing both breasts in women with BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations as a preventive measure.All the listed tips are worth paying attention to. However, every woman is advised to do a monthly self-breast examination as well as an annual clinical breast examination.
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