A very significant proportion of breast cancer cases are idiopathic and have no known cause, but we do know there are things that we do or do not do that impact our chances of breast cancer. While it is not possible to prevent every case of breast cancer, it is important to understand how to prevent breast cancer by doing all that we can to lower risk of the disease.

How to Prevent Breast Cancer

How to prevent breast cancer – 6 points to ponder

1. Get to and maintain a healthy weight

There is a direct link between obesity and cancer risk; also there are direct links between the sort of food one eats and the level of activity that they indulge in.

To know preventing breast cancer is also to know how to be healthy – exercise regularly and consistently, eat plenty of fresh fruit and veggies, nuts and healthy fats, cut down on red meat and deli foods, sugar and unhealthy fats – these may be basic health fundamentals but they also help to prevent cancer.

2. Kick the butt and pass on the alcohol

Smoking increases the risk of many kinds of cancers and causes so many other health problems; that the sooner one gives up all forms of tobacco use the better it is. Beware of secondhand smoke as well.

There is also a strongly established link between alcohol use and breast cancer risk. These two lifestyle factors not only tell you how do you prevent breast cancer, they also give you an overall longer and healthier life.

3. Consider your reproductive choices

There is a lot of research done on the link between cancer, having babies and breastfeeding. There is a strong link found to exist between having children, breast feeding them for significantly longer periods of time, and lower incidences of breast cancer.

And having children earlier in life rather than later in life is also known to improve one’s chances for preventing breast cancer.

4. Know your family history

A woman’s family history is a strong indicator for cancer and knowing if there is a genetic predisposition to cancer in her family is important to know and understand. This is also very important to know if one wants to know how to prevent breast cancer.

5. Get screened

You have probably heard it often enough – early detection is the key to overcoming and beating any kind of cancer and that later detection offers the poorest prognoses.

A big part preventing breast cancer is to make sure that you’re doing your breast self exam regularly; and undergoing the mammograms as recommended.

6. Avoid carcinogens, estrogens and Xenoestrogens

Hitting menopause can be difficult for a lot of women, and though hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is known to ease the process, it is also known to have a link with increased breast cancer risk.

Pesticides, herbicides and other chemical additives in foods are known to be linked with increased cancer risk and to know how to prevent breast cancer; one also needs to know about carcinogens. Avoiding Xenoestrogens is also important since these mimic the presence of estrogen in the body.