October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
According to The American Cancer Society, one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer at some point in their life. This is a staggering statistic we cannot ignore.
Although breast cancer can be caused by factors like genetics, there are other factors which increases a man’s or woman’s risk. These risk factors include: being overweight or obese, not engaging in regular physical activity, not consuming an adequate number of fruits and vegetables, and drinking over the recommended amount of alcohol per day.
Here is what you can do to reduce your risk:
- Keep a healthy weight.
- Exercise regularly.
- Limit alcoholic drinks to no more than one per day.
- If you are taking hormone replacement therapy or oral contraceptives, talk to your doctor about the risks and find out if it is right for you.
- Breastfeed your babies, if possible.
Another critical step to reduce your risk is by getting breast cancer screenings. The earlier that breast cancer is caught, the better.
Discuss your risk of breast cancer with your doctor, today.
For more information about breast cancer visit http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/breast/.