You will agree with me that Cancer is a major topic on health headlines today because of it cruel grasp on both men and women, it a major disease that combat with the female gender while alot has lost their lives to it many are fighting for survivor and quite a number have been totally cured of cancer.
Cancer is ultimately the result of cells that uncontrollably grow and
do not die. Normal cells in the body follow an orderly path of
growth, division, and death. Programmed cell death is called
apoptosis, and when this process breaks down, cancer begins to
form. Unlike regular cells, cancer cells do not experience
programmatic death and instead continue to grow and divide. This
leads to a mass of abnormal cells that grows out of control,there are over 100 cancers and they are classified by the type of cell that is initially affected.Among other types of cancer this article is to create awareness about breast cancer in women.
Images of breast cancer spread or growth
A study made headlines reporting that walking an hour a
day reduces the chances of breast cancer.
Published in Cancer Epidemiology,
Biomarkers, and Prevention and sponsored
by the American Cancer Society, the study
found an inverse association between
exercise and breast cancer in post-
menopausal women. Meaning the more
physically active a woman was, the lower
her breast cancer risk.A
Moderate physical activity reduced breast
cancer risk by 14 percent, while “vigorous”
physical activity (bicycling, jogging, aerobics
etc in addition to walking) reduced breast
cancer risk even more – by 25 percent.
The research came on the heels of another study published in
May in the same journal, this time involving younger women,
which found that exercise affects the way women’s bodies
handle estrogen.
Both studies show something important: We aren’t powerless
over breast cancer. Yes, it happens, and yes it’s scary. But
there are things we can do now that can protect ourselves. The
first one, of course, is exercise, as often and as much as you
can make time for. Here are 5 more things you can do that
research shows lower breast cancer risk.
1. Drop Those Extra Pounds
Sorry, no one wants to hear this one, but the evidence is pretty
strong. There are lots of studies, and lots of ways to quantify it,
but in a nutshell, according to the Surgeon General, gaining
more than 20 pounds between age 18 and midlife double their
risk of postmenopausal breast cancer.
One cancer researcher, Anne McTiernan of the Fred
Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, says that a
quarter of all breast cancer cases could be prevented by
women achieving and maintaining a healthy weight. The
simplest explanation: estrogen is stored in fat tissue, and extra
estrogen raises breast cancer risk.
2. Put Away the Wine Bottle
If your evening ritual glass of wine is
typically more like two or three glasses, take
note. Studies have shown that drinking two
or more alcoholic drinks a day raises your
risk of breast cancer by at least 20 percent.
(I say “at least” because there are many
different studies, done in many different
ways, but a 20 percent risk elevation is one
of the more conservative.) The American
Cancer Society now recommends that
women limit alcohol to one serving or less a
day.
And the amount in a “serving” of alcohol is a
lot less than you probably think it is; just 5 ounces of wine or
12 ounces of beer. Scientists believe the reason for this is that
alcohol changes the way your body metabolizes estrogen,
elevating estrogen levels.
The risk also seems to go up the younger you are when you
incorporate the drinking ritual. A new study out last month
found that women who were regular imbibers prior to their
first pregnancy had a higher incidence of breast abnormalities
associated with later cancer development.
3. Know Your Breast Tissue Density
Hopefully, you’ve heard by now that having dense breast tissue
raises your risk of breast cancer. But here’s the more
important issue: Do you know whether you fall in this
category? Breast tissue varies greatly in how dense it is, which
means that it has more fibrous and glandular tissue and less
fat.
If you don’t know where you fall on the spectrum, talk to your
doctor and find out. (Or ask during your next mammogram.)
It’s important, because if you fall into the 66 percent of pre-
menopausal women (and 25 percent of post-menopausal
women) who have dense breast tissue, an annual mammogram
may not be enough for you to monitor your breast health.
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