In my last blog ‘What is Your Normal?’, I discussed the value and importance of regular, monthly self-breast checks. I also hinted at some risk factors – some lifestyle choices you can make, to reduce your chance of getting breast cancer. So as it is still October and BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH I thought it appropriate to look at prevention and lowering your risk.
But firstly. Let’s look at the glaring facts and risk factors that you CAN’T change.
HAVING BREASTS: If you have breasts (entire post-pubescent population of the world) then you can get breast cancer. Both men (some 0.5% of cases) and women can get breast cancer. So being human is your first risk factor!
FEMALE: Being female is the most significant risk factor. Women account for 99.5% of all cases – more than 21 000 Australian women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in 2023.
AGE: As we age, our risk increases. Our bodies have had longer exposure to the female hormones - progesterone and estrogen. In 75% of cases, these hormones feed breast cancers. Also, as we live longer there are more opportunities for genetic damage in the body. Most breast cancers are found in women aged 50+, but it is important to note that no decade of age: 50-59, 60-69, 70-79 accounts for more than 25% of cases and women aged 40-49 still have a comparatively high rate of BC diagnosis in Australian at 20%.
OK. So, we have breasts, are female and we are getting older – they are the THREE biggest risk factors and not things that we can control or change.
What then, is within our control, and should be seriously considered, if we’d like to reduce our chances of getting breast cancer?
Here are my TOP 5 lifestyle choices to reduce your risk of developing breast cancer.
MOVE YOUR BODY - Being a healthy weight, exercising regularly and maintaining a healthy BMI will reduce your breast cancer risk. There are so many benefits to exercise and lowering your risk of cancer is definitely one of them. Breast cancer is particularly connected here though, because if we are overweight, it means we are carrying extra fat cells. Fat cells make estrogen; extra fat cells mean more estrogen in the body and estrogen can make hormone-receptor-positive breast cancers grow. Fat cells also trigger long-term, low-grade inflammation. Chronic inflammation has also been linked to increased risk of breast cancer.
EAT HEALTHY - No specific foods, supplements or diets, lower your risk of breast cancer. However, a healthy diet has strong links with maintaining a healthy weight. Nutrition for breast cancer prevention, is just common sense eating that is the same for all sorts of common diseases. A lower dietary intake of fat (between 10-20%) and eating more plant-based protein and fibre are recommended.
REDUCE ALCOHOL - There is a direct link between drinking alcohol and breast cancer. Limit your alcohol. Zero is best. Epidemiologic studies have consistently shown an increased risk of breast cancer with increasing alcohol intake. Light drinkers have a slightly increased risk of breast cancer compared to non-drinkers. Moderate alcohol consumption has been linked to a 30-50% increased risk.
BIRTH CONTROL - Using birth control pills increases your risk of developing breast cancer. Long term use, particularly, raises risk levels.So too, does usage of these hormone-based pills increase breast cancer risk, if you are over the age of 40 and still using them. Women using contraceptive pills over the age of 45 are nearly one and a half times as likely to get breast cancer as a woman who has never used the pill. If you are using birth control pills, and can’t change to other forms of contraception, make sure they are a modern variety – these usually have a lower dose of estrogen.
VITAMIN D - Get out in the sun!! Women with low Vitamin D -levels have a higher risk of breast cancer. Vitamin D, particularly vitamin D3 plays a role in controlling normal breast growth and may be able to stop breast cancer cells from growing.
Although I haven’t included it in my top 5, another very important evidence-based lifestyle choice for reducing breast cancer risk, is pregnancy and breastfeeding. Women are generally having children later in life which increases their risk. The risk is reduced by some 4.5% for every 12 months of breastfeeding. The absence of menstruation and infertility during breastfeeding reduces exposure to estrogen. During lactation, breast tissue is constantly changing, removing older cells that can tend to mutate and form cancer. This shedding of old cells in the breasts also occurs during pregnancy.
I hope this information is helpful as you consider your own risk and weigh up certain lifestyle choices.
Doctors do not know why certain women develop breast cancer and most women who have breast cancer will never be able to pinpoint an exact cause. Personally, I feel that my continued fertility treatment over 5 years, completing 13 rounds of IVF, would have been a strong contributor. Although there are no studies that directly link IVF and breast cancer, I can’t help thinking about all those estrogen injections contributing to my estrogen-positive breast cancer. It’s logical right? But I suppose the lucrative industry of IVF does not want too bright a light shone on this connection.
Of course, I wouldn’t change anything. We got to be parents and have a beautiful, healthy, now 14-year-old daughter. I just believe it added to my estrogen levels, over a long period of time and THAT could have tipped things over into breast cancer land for me.
As this Breast Cancer Awareness Month comes to a close, I urge you to routinely check your breasts, keep up-to-date with two-yearly mammograms and consider your lifestyle choices. All of these things will either reduce your risk or support early detection.
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