There are variety of reasons on how you can develop breast cancer. There are variety of things you can’t about it like gene’s, age, but don’t forget your lifestyle has a big part on your risk. There are some things you can change to really reduce your risk! Having a healthy lifestyle can’t help reduce that risk, but remember there are no guarantees!
We know that a big proportion of breast cancers can be linked to lifestyle and you can reduce that risk by limiting alcohol, maintaining a healthy weight, and being active! Here are some facts you should know:
- 30 minutes or 3.5 a week of exercise can reduce your risk of breast cancer by at least 20%.10 individual activities
- Brisk walk in the park
- Join a running club
- Go for a bike ride
- Go for a swim
- Do an exercise video
- A quick gym session
- Try a new exercise class
- Try power yoga2
- Try a park boot camp
- Give Zumba a go
10 group or family activities
- Have a dance contest with the kids
- Play tennis or badminton with friends
- Play a round of golf
- Take family and friends tenpin bowling
- Learn a new type of dance
- Actively play with kids
- Go on a group hike
- Take the family ice-skating
- Get the family out biking
- Play football in the garden
10 day-to-day activities
- Brisk walk to work or the shops
- Push a baby buggy, pram or wheelchair
- Mow the lawn
- Do some gardening
- Wash (and wax) the car
- Get vacuuming
- Paint and decorate a room
- Clear away leaves or sweep the paths
- Walk up the stairs
- Take the dog for a walk
- Regularly drinking alcohol (even one a day) increases your risk of developing breast cancer.The amount of alcohol in a drink can be measured in units. Some drinks have more alcohol in them than others:*
We can show this in the chart below. This shows how many women out of 100 will develop breast cancer in their lifetime, depending on how much they drink.*
For example:
- In a group of 100 women who do not drink, about 11 will probably develop breast cancer in their lifetime.
- In contrast, in a group of 100 women who drink two units of alcohol a day (that’s a standard glass of wine), about 14 will develop breast cancer in their lifetime.
- Therefore, drinking two units a day causes about three extra women out of every 100 to develop breast cancer.
- A healthy weight throughout your life, you can reduce your risk of developing breast cancer even after the menopause.
Breast cancer risk in women over 50 by body mass index (BMI)*
If you have anymore questions about these topics then please come by our clinic and ask any of our members about what your risk could be like.
*Charts from http://breastcancernow.org/