Breast cancer prevention

In addition to genetic or biological risk factors, certain behaviours or lifestyle habits can increase the risk of breast cancer.

Here are some general recommendations to follow as much as possible in daily life:

Drinking even small amounts of alcohol increases the risk of developing breast cancer. This risk increases proportionally with the amount consumed. There are two possible explanations for this risk:

• Alcohol may increase the level of estrogen, a hormone associated with breast cancer.
• Alcohol may also reduce essential nutrients, such as folic acid (a type of vitamin B), and vitamins A and C, all of which protect against cellular lesions.

It is recommended to limit alcohol consumption to one drink per day for a maximum of five days per week.

Although the content of My Active Health Nutrition has been designed and developed primarily for the needs of people who have been diagnosed with breast cancer, the advice includes some of the main principles of a healthy and balanced diet, which can be applied both in the prevention and remission of breast cancer.

 
Running, walking, being active: more than four hours a week of high-intensity physical activity reduces your risk. The effect of exercise on breast cancer risk may be greater in premenopausal women with normal or low body weight. 

Stop smoking or avoiding of being exposed to second hand smoke could contribute to limit your risk of breast cancer. Giving up tobacco is not easy, do no hesitate to ask help for your smoking withdrawal.

Breastfeed

Breastfeeding reduces the exposure of breast cells to estrogen and therefore protects women from developing breast cancer. According to many studies, breastfeeding is considered a protective factor against breast cancer.

Having received radiation or ionizing radiation for medical treatment is a risk factor for breast cancer. This risk is higher if the treatment was given with chemotherapy at puberty or before the age of 15.