is there a way to prevent breast cancer?

Question

Or reduce the chance of getting it? I read a book about it and now im scared.

Answer 1

There certainly are ways to reduce your chances of getting breast cancer. It is probably not completely preventable, but as someone else mentioned, if you do self breast-exams every month after your cycle and start getting clinical breast exams from your doctors as well as mammograms at the appropriate age, you can hopefully be diagnosed earlier if you do get it.

If you are at a very high risk of getting breast cancer for some reason, you may be able to get breast MRIs that may detect breast cancer even earlier but are much more expensive (so they're not used as a screening for everyone).

I have had breast cancer twice, unfortunately (it's in my family) and I have been to many conferences and presentations and read a lot over the years about it, so this is information I have collected over the years.

Moderate exercise can reduce the risk of getting breast cancer or getting it again if you've already had it. Obesity is a risk factor in getting breast cancer and dying from it, because fat produces more estrogen, which feeds many breast cancers. So keeping a healthy weight is very important.

Broccoli and particularly broccoli sprouts have actually been shown to reduce chances of breast cancer coming back, and they postulate that this will also help in prevention. The amount of broccoli is 1/2 cup a day. There have been clinical studies about this, it's not an "old wive's tale." I'm sorry I don't have those references. In general you want to include vegetables and also fresh fruits in your diet as a substantial part of your diet.

Eating a healthy diet in general will reduce your chances, and a very low-fat diet will definitely reduce your chances of getting breast cancer. This is hard for most Americans.

I also personally think that using organic products is helpful, and avoiding beef and beef products such as milk and milk products is going to reduce your chances of getting breast cancer because you will be avoiding the extra hormone and antibiotics given to cattle. (And also helping against global warming, btw, as factory cattle farms are a huge cause of carbon emissions).

I personally may have been affected by getting too much chest radiation because of other medical conditions. Avoiding radiation, especially to the chest between the ages of 18 to 30, is a good idea for most people.

For women at very high risk or who may have a gene predisposing them to breast cancer, some women actually take tamoxifen, which is a drug given to breast cancer patients, as a preventive agent. But this is not done for most people and can have some serious side effects.

There is some information that women who are shift workers or consistently work at night (as I do!) are at a higher risk of getting breast cancer. It may be from the artificial light. So if possible, keeping a day time schedule may be beneficial. ' This is not entirely proven, but it is based on a study called the Nurses Health Study.

I hope this helps you. The older you are the higher your risk of getting breast cancer. One in seven US women will get it, but that's in their lifetime -- meaning including women in their 80s and 90s. The younger you are, your actual risk of getting breast cancer decreases.

Try not to worry about it too much, as focusing on something negative is never good for your health. Just live the healthiest lifestyle you can and incorporate the above suggestions and you will not only lower your chance of getting breast cancer, but you will lower your chances of heart disease, which kills way more people than breast cancer. For example, around 40,000 people a year die of breast cancer in the US. More than 900,000 people die of heart disease every year in the US!!

Also you might reduce your chances of getting other diseases by following a healthy lifestyle.

Oh, I should mention that drinking a lot of alcohol is also associated with an increased risk of breast cancer! And smoking, while most people associate it with lung cancer, is also associated with an increased risk of breast cancer.

Additionally, if you are pregnant before age 30, you reduce your chances of getting breast cancer (although pregnancy shouldn't be used only as a prevention of breast cancer! :) ) and breast feeding your child may also reduce your chances of getting breast cancer.

Actually, one more thing -- for those who are found to have a genetic mutation predisposing them to breast cancer (you could only find this out if you have someone in your family who has breast cancer, and they test positive, and then you test positive) -- some women do have prophylactic mastectomies, meaning they have their breasts removed. It is not done very often, but it is done. And some women may also have their ovaries removed to reduce risk of ovarian cancer and also breast cancer because there will be less estrogen the body.

Answer 2

There's a lot we still don't know about breast cancer. We do know genetics and lifestyle choices play a part in it. If cancer runs in your family, that gives you a higher chance of getting it. If you're overweight, experienced early menstraution or late menopause, or had children later in life, that raises your risk but by no means guarantee you will get it.

The best way to reduce your chance of getting it is to check your breasts for lumps every month. Early detection will allow your doctor to identify and excise any tumors before they metasticize (spread) into your body.

There are lots of articles that say if you eat this or do that, you'll reduce your risk but the best thing you can do is screen for early symptoms. Don't worry about it too much though!

http://familydoctor.org/018.xml

Answer 3

To be honest there isn't much one can do to prevent it because there are so many possible causes of breast cancer. What you can focus on is early detection--by doing regular self-breast examination and annual mammograms.

Answer 4

my mum was diagnosed with breast cancer in december,she was given the all clear in february,after under going 2 operations,she lived a perfectly healthy,normal life beforehand. the only advice i can give is enjoy your life and live every day as though its your last,in other words forget worrying about illnesses and do things now that you never thought you would. my mum has had 4 sessions of radiotherapy,and has another 11 to go,and she's booked a holiday to cyprus,she flies off in 7wks time.and good on her i say,but its taken the fact that she's had cancer to think "i'm going to do what i want to do,not what people expect me to do" ie sit in a corner and dwell. dont think about illnesses,this will just drag you down,live life to the full!

Answer 5

I'm a doctor from Romania and I wrote an article about that because I believe it's a very important question.
If you want, you can read it here:
http://www.newcancerguide.com/lower-your-risk-of-having-breast-cancer.html
Cristiana

Answer 6

On oprah show recently she had some woman who removed their breasts to prevent Breast Cancer

Answer 7

The only way to prevent casncer to go with the ginecologist every year like it supost to be