A healthy lifestyle prevents breast cancer.
(Mirror Daily, United States) – A recent study has established that women who are more likely to develop breast cancer can drop off the risk to that of an average woman by having a healthy lifestyle.
According to Dr. Robert Shenk, Medical Director at the Breast Center, University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center in Cleveland, Ohio, this study has brought a new perspective regarding the prevention of breast cancer among women.
However, further research is needed to learn and understand more about all the factors regarding this situation. Until now, 23,000 high-risk white women with ages between 30 and 80 years old participated in the study so that the scientists could determine how much a healthy lifestyle would decline the chances of developing breast cancer.
Therefore, many researchers from major institutions such the Johns Hopkins University and the National Institutes of Health analyzed the health records data regarding the use of hormones, weight indexes, drinking habits and smoking among the women involved in the study.
There is an 11 percent standard chance of a 30-year-old woman of developing breast cancer by the time she is 80. Nevertheless, some women have 23.5 percent risk due to reproductive factors, genetic markers, and family history. However, researchers have discovered that these women can also lower their risk to 11 percent if they adopt a healthy lifestyle.
Plus, scientists underlined that women who did not use menopause hormone therapy (MHT), did not smoke or drink and had low BMI also had 11 percent risk. In other words, the purpose of the study is to determine which are the healthiest choices a woman can make in order to lower the risk of breast cancer as much as possible.
According to Shenk, this data may contribute to establishing more accurate information about cancer screening via yearly mammograms. However, experts are still not sure if women with family history of breast cancer have such a high-risk percentage.
In addition to this, the study included only a particular type of women, more specifically women from the U.S., Europe and Australia with ages between 30 and 80. Therefore, these findings can’t be considered valid for the entire women population. For instance, ethnic differences may also influence the risk of breast cancer.
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