Breast cancer rates for women in their 30s are still relatively low, but this is the time to get serious about monitoring your breasts for any changes. Here’s some good breast-healthy behavior to cultivate during this decade.1. Get a clinical breast exam every three years. Also monitor your own breasts, and if you notice any changes, alert your doctor. If you’re at high risk due to a close family history, your doctor may want you to start getting annual mammograms and MRIs as well.
2. Drink less alcohol. “This means no more than one drink per day,” says Anne McTiernan, MD, PhD, director of the Prevention Center at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle and coauthor of Breast Fitness: An Optimal Exercise and Health Plan for Reducing Your Risk of Breast Cancer. “Alcohol use increases your risk for breast cancer.”
3. If you have children, breast-feed them for at least six months. Some studies suggest that breast-feeding may slightly lower breast cancer risk, particularly if a woman continues breast feeding for 1.5 to 2 years. A recent study by researchers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center showed that breast feeding for six months or longer reduced the risk of low grade, slow-growing breast cancer by 20%, while the risk of triple-negative disease was cut by 50%.
4. Avoid eating too much red and processed meat. Limit your intake of red meat to 4 ounces (about the size of a deck of cards) per day on average, says Dr. McTiernan. She also recommends avoiding meats such as sausages and bologna. “The chemicals that are used to process the meats have been found to cause several kinds of cancers,” she notes. Strive also to eat 10 servings of fruits and vegetables a day and minimize your intake of high-calorie foods such as sugary drinks, juice, desserts, and candies, as well as refined breads and chips.
5. If you’re at high risk of getting breast cancer, ask your doctor whether you’re a good candidate for chemoprevention. Tamoxifen is approved for use in premenopausal women at high risk of developing breast cancer. “While the average woman should not take a drug to reduce the risk of breast cancer," explains Julie R. Gralow, MD, director of breast medical oncology at the University of Washington and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, "I would consider them for a woman who’s had a biopsy that shows an increased risk for development of cancer."
6. Stay active. Studies suggest that exercising three to four hours per week at moderate or vigorous levels can reduce your risk of breast cancer by about 20%. Whether it's brisk walking, biking, dancing, or jogging, work to keep your heart rate above its baseline level for at least 20 minutes at a time.
MORE TO CONSIDER: Can stressful life events increase your risk of breast cancer? The relationship between attitude, outlook, mood, and breast cancer is up for debate, but a recent Israeli study of women under the age of 45 found that exposure to several stressful life events, such as the divorce or death of parents before 20 years of age, was associated with breast cancer. “Experiencing more than one [negative] meaningful life event...is a risk factor for breast cancer among young women,” the authors, from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Beer Sheva and Haifa University in Haifa, Israel, wrote. “On the other hand, general feelings of happiness and optimism can play a protective role against the disease.” Sounds simple enough: Don't worry, be happy, avoid breast cancer. But Ronit Peled, PhD, MPH, the lead author of the study and an epidemiologist at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, notes that simply being optimistic and having positive feelings are not enough to prevent breast cancer. But happiness and optimism, she adds, along with positive lifestyle factors including diet and exercise, cumulatively contribute to good health. The findings come with a few more caveats. As a retrospective study, the subjects were interviewed after their breast cancer diagnoses, which means that the disease may have impacted the overall evaluations of their lives retroactively. And some in the medical community are concerned with the message that women may gather from this sort of research. "Nobody can control these kinds of stresses," says Julia A. Smith, MD, director of the NYU Cancer Institute's breast cancer screening and prevention program and director of the Lynne Cohen breast cancer preventive care program at NYU in New York City. "And I don't think it's a good idea to present to women evidence that says if they're not happy or if they're stressed out, they might be causing their cancer." What's more, says Dr. Smith, there's evidence that shows the opposite of the Israeli study's findings may be true, that stress may actually be an immune system catalyst that might lower one's risk for the disease. In any event, more research is needed to pin down any links between attitude, mood, stress, and breast cancer before any conclusions are drawn. Till then, Dr. McTiernan advises women who've experienced stressful life events to do what she'd advise for anyone, regardless of cancer risk: "Seek counseling from a support group, counselor, or clergy to help deal with the event and surrounding stress and grief, which should help with overall health."
Taken from Health.com
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