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| Breast Cancer Risk Factors |
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| Date: 26-Jun-2012 |
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Every woman wants to know what she can do to lower her risk of breast cancer. Some of the factors associated with breast cancer being a woman, your age, and your genetics, for example can't be changed. Other factors -- maintaining a healthy weight, exercising, smoking cigarettes, and eating nutritious food -- can be changed by making choices. By choosing the healthiest lifestyle options possible, you can empower yourself and make sure your breast cancer risk is as low as possible.
The known risk factors for breast cancer are listed below. Click on each link to learn more about the risk factor and ways you can minimize it in your own life. If a factor can't be changed (such as your genetics), you can learn about protective steps you can take that can help keep your risk as low as possible.
Established risks:
Being a Woman
Just being a woman is the biggest risk factor for developing breast cancer. There are about 190,000 new cases of invasive breast cancer and 60,000 cases of non-invasive breast cancer this year in American women.
Just being a woman is the biggest risk factor for developing breast cancer. There are about 190,000 new cases of invasive breast cancer and 60,000 cases of non-invasive breast cancer this year in American women. While men do develop breast cancer, less than 1% of all new breast cancer cases happen in men. Approximately 2,000 cases of breast cancer will be diagnosed in American men this year.
The biggest reasons for the difference in breast cancer rates between men and women are:
Women's breast development takes 3 to 4 years and is usually complete by age 14. It's uncommon for men's breasts to fully form -- most of the male breasts you see are fat, not formed glands.
Once fully formed, breast cells are very immature and highly active until a woman's first full-term pregnancy. While they are immature, a women's breast cells are very responsive to estrogen and other hormones, including hormone disrupters in the environment.
Men's breast cells are inactive and most men have extremely low levels of estrogen.
So hormonal stimulation of highly responsive and vulnerable breast cells in women, particularly during the extra-sensitive period of breast development, is why breast cancer is much more common in women than in men.
Steps you can take
Changing your sex to reduce your risk of breast cancer is not a realistic or reasonable possibility. But there are lifestyle choices you can make to reduce your estrogen exposure and reduce this sex-related risk:
maintaining a healthy weight
exercising regularly
limiting alcohol
eating nutritious food
never smoking (or quitting if you do smoke) |
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| Source: Breastcancer.org |
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