Every woman has the fear of breast cancer hidden at the back of her head. If you’re too concerned about developing this disease, you may also be thinking about what you can do to reduce your risk. Though you cannot do anything about some risks like genes, a few preventive measures can significantly bring down your risk.
Preventive Measures
- Lose Weight
Obesity is a leading cause of breast cancer. The risk becomes more high after you reach menopause stage. Try to maintain an ideal body weight. The best way to do this is by taking care of your diet. Have more balanced and nutritious meals. Add a lot of vegetables and fruits to your die. Avoid sugar and refined carbs. Stay away from fatty and processed foods. Be sure to include protein, like fish and chicken, to your diet and have red meat only once in a while.
- Exercise
Regular exercise is important for overall health. It will also reduce your risk of cancer. Even if you start exercising later in life, it will still help you. The benefits are immediate and long lasting. In fact, it will bring down your risk by almost 10 per cent, according to experts. If it is difficult for you to take a regular regimen, just take a 30-minute walk every day. This will also help.
- Avoid Smoking
Alcohol intake increases your risk of breast cancer. Try to limit yourself to 1 drink a day if you have to. But abstinence is best. Binge drinking is an absolute no. Even if you drink once a week, try to stick to the 1 drink rule.
- Avoid Hormone Replacement Therapy
Many women go in for hormone therapy at the time of menopause. This unfortunately increases your risk of breast cancer. But if you have no other option, take to your doctor and avoid those that contain progesterone. Or at least limit their use to less than three years. Even ‘bioidentical hormones’, hormonal creams and gels are not safer alternative either.
- Oestrogen-Blocking Drugs May Help
If you have a family history of breast cancer, an oestrogen blocking drug may help you. This goes for women over the age of 60 too. Consult your doctor about this.
- Breast-feed
It has been proved by various research that women who breast-feed their babies have a lesser risk of breast cancer. In fact, the longer you do it, the better it is.