Five ways to reduce breast cancer risk

It is difficult to identify why some women get breast cancer and others don’t. Australian women have a 1 in 8 lifetime risk of developing breast cancer and the risk of developing the disease increases with age but there are some things you could try to limit risk.

Be “breast aware”: Touch your breasts and look for changes and see a doctor if you notice something that concerns you. Being aware of the look and feel of your breasts is an important part of being able to spot any changes that occur. Get acquainted with what your breasts look like and how they feel at different times of the month.

If you can try and breastfeed your kids: A recent study by the 2013 the World Cancer Research Fund found that women who breastfeed for at least six months reduced the risk of dying of cancer by 10 per cent. Researchers tracked 380,000 women and found that mothers who nursed also saw their chance of death from circulatory disease drop by 17 per cent.

Avoid a high fat diet: Being overweight or obese increases breast cancer risk and this is especially true after menopause and for women who gain weight as adults. So engaging in a healthy diet is important. A study conducted by the Epic breast cancer study earlier this year identified that high fat diets increase the risk of breast cancer by 20 per cent and heavy consumption of saturated fat elevated the risk of hormone-sensitive breast cancer by 28 per cent.

Exercise regularly: New research from the UK has shown that 15 minutes of vigorous exercise every day could cut the risk of getting breast cancer by one fifth. Oxford University tracked the lifestyles of 125,000 postmenopausal women – around 1000 of whom were diagnosed with cancer during three years of follow up – found that women who did the most physical activity had a decreased chance of getting breast cancer than their sedentary peers. Females who did between 15 minutes and 35 minutes of vigorous daily exercise, like running, were 20 per cent less likely to develop breast cancer compared to those who did not exercise. The study also found that lean women were 55 per cent less likely to develop breast cancer than those with the highest levels of body fat.

Limit alcohol: Alcohol was classified as one of the most carcinogenic substances by the World Health Organisation in 1988 and yet many people still continue to put their health at risk. Research suggests women who have 2 or more alcoholic drinks a day have about one and a half times the risk of breast cancer compared to women who don’t drink at all. The American Cancer Society recommends no more than one standard drink per day for women and two standard drinks per day for men.