5 EASY STEPS TO PREVENT BREAST CANCER
October is the month of breast cancer awareness and you will most likely hear or read tons about it. It’s good that everyone is putting all this information out there because in case of life-threatening diseases knowledge is power.
I thought I knew quite a lot about breast cancer but it turns out there is always something new you can learn. Recently, I have learnt that women over 35 (as opposed to over 40 as previously thought) should get a yearly mammogram and an ultrasound. The latter is really useful in case of women with dense breasts.
Preventing breast cancer may not seem like much of probability but implementing a few easy steps in your daily life may greatly reduce your risks of getting this particular disease. Here are just five steps you can take right now that will make a big difference for your health:
- Exercise—I’m sure you’ve heard it over and over but it’s actually true. Physical activity (at least 30 minutes a day for 5 days a week) lowers the levels of estrogen, which is thought to be one of the causes of breast cancer.
- Take Vitamin D—this seems like a miracle vitamin but more research shows that Vitamin D deficiency increases your risk of many serious diseases, breast cancer among them. Doctors recommend taking a dosage of 800-1000 IU a day.
- Stay within your weight limits—gaining even as little as 20 pounds as an adult may increase your risk of breast cancer and being obese will put you in a higher risk group. Studies show that overweight women past menopause have double the risk of breast cancer than women of a healthy weight.
- Reduce alcohol intake—National Cancer Institute’s data reveals that having two or more drinks a day increases your risk of breast cancer b up to 32% and having more than that increases the risks by 51%!
- Get to know your body—the most recent studies show that self-examination does not save lives and it may actually increase your risk of unnecessary biopsy. It may sound surprising but doctors nowadays consider this method optional however it is still advisable to know your breasts and talk to your doctor about anything out of the ordinary.
So here you are… Not too bad, is it? And wouldn’t you do anything in your power to prevent breast cancer or at least reduce greatly the chances of getting it? I know I would…