Lifestyle Choices Influence the Incidence of Breast Cancer

According to a new study published in the Oncology section of the JAMA magazine, lifestyle choices influence the incidence of breast cancer. It seems that our daily habits have a higher impact on our overall health than we previously thought.

The researchers that conducted the study analyzed over 40,000 females and took samples to test for 24 gene variants that were previously linked to the incidence of breast cancer.

The team looked for factors that were able to reduce a person’s chances of developing breast cancer. Currently, an average white 30 years old woman has approximately one in eleven chances of getting cancer.

The main objective of the study was to establish a prediction model for the “absolute risk of invasive breast cancer.” The researchers stated that the results “provide new insight into the challenges and opportunities for risk-based targeted cancer prevention efforts.”

In order to get these results, the scientists looked at 19,862 control samples and 17,171 cases. All of the samples were taken from the Prostate and Breast Cancer Consortium Cohort. They also analyzed the questionnaires given to 5,879 women that participated in the Interview Survey for National Health that took place in 2010.

The study only included women that were not diagnosed with having the BRCA 1 and 2 genes. These particular genes are known for their ability to increase the risk of women developing breast cancer.

Based on the information about the family history and lifestyle choices provided by the participants, the researchers created a model that predicts the absolute risk of developing breast cancer.

According to the results that were published in the Oncology section of the on-line version of JAMA magazine, lifestyle choices influence the incidence of breast cancer. Four major factors can reduce or increase the incidence of the disorder.

• Maintaining a healthy weight, not necessarily one that fits in the BMI standards that are considered overrated, but keeping a healthy height-weight ratio.
• Quitting smoking or avoiding taking up the habit.
• Not taking hormone replacement therapy that could influence the hormonal balance of the body.
• Avoiding alcohol consumption or excessive use of alcoholic beverages.

It seems that if women respect these four simple rules, there will be an overall 30 percent decrease in the number of breast cancer cases.

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