Nearly 300,000 Nigerians, mostly women, will be diagnosed with breast cancer in 2024. With Breast Cancer Awareness Month kicking off later in October, you may be wondering what you can do to tip the scales toward sidestepping the disease.
Breast Cancer Risk Factors You Can’t Change
Nearly everyone has certain factors that increase their odds of developing breast cancer, and some of these factors are fixed, meaning you can’t change them. These include:
- Age
- Being born female
- Inheriting certain genetic mutations
- Having a family or personal history of breast cancer
- Having dense breast tissue
- Starting menstruation early
- Going through menopause late
Having one or more risk factors does not mean you will get the disease, and not all risk factors for breast cancer are fixed. In fact, it turns out there are several ways to reduce your chances of developing or dying from breast cancer, even when the odds aren’t in your favor.
Tips to Reduce Your Breast Cancer Risk
Managing your risk of developing breast cancer can feel overwhelming. But whether you have a genetic susceptibility to the disease or not, there are plenty of things you can do to safeguard your health.
Be proactive
Screening won’t reduce your risk of developing breast cancer, but it can improve your chances of a good outcome if you are diagnosed. If you have a family history of breast cancer or other risk factors that predispose you to the disease, talk to your doctor about putting together a screening and surveillance program that’s tailored to your unique needs. If you have dense breasts, for example, it’s important to develop an awareness of what the tissue feels like so you can check in with your doctor if you notice changes.
Limit estrogen exposure
About 80% of breast cancers are estrogen receptor positive, meaning estrogen fuels the cancer. Extended exposure to estrogen from oral contraceptives or long-term hormone replacement therapy (HRT) may increase breast cancer risk. “For women at increased risk of breast cancer, taking drugs that block estrogen, such as Tamoxifen and Raloxifene, can dramatically reduce their risk of developing hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer, but they come with side effects.
Maintain a healthy weight
Being overweight, particularly after menopause, increases your risk of developing breast cancer. The reason, in part, is because once the ovaries stop making estrogen, fat cells step in. The more fat tissue you have, the more estrogen you produce, which can create a more welcoming environment for breast cancer. Being overweight is also linked with higher levels of growth factors, such as insulin, which can encourage tumor development.
Pay attention to your sleep cycle
The timing and quality of your sleep plays an important role in bolstering your immune system and supporting your metabolic health. Maintaining an insufficient or erratic sleep schedule can result in metabolic changes that affect body composition and impair the immune system.