|
Page 2 of 2 What Causes Breast Cancer? continued... Generally, women over 50 are more likely to get breast cancer than younger women, and African-American women are more likely than Caucasions to get breast cancer before menopause. A link between breast cancer and hormones is gradually becoming clearer. Researchers think that the greater a woman's exposure to the hormone estrogen, the more susceptible she is to breast cancer. Estrogen tells cells to divide; the more the cells divide, the more likely they are to be abnormal in some way, possibly becoming cancerous. A woman's exposure to estrogen and progesterone rises and falls during her lifetime, influenced by the age she starts and stops menstruating, the average length of her menstrual cycle, and her age at first childbirth. A woman's risk for breast cancer is increased if she starts menstruating before age 12, has her first child after 30, stops menstruating after 55, or has a menstrual cycle shorter or longer than the average 26-29 days. Current information indicates that the hormones in birth control pills probably do not increase the risk. Some studies suggest that taking hormone replacement therapy after menopause may increase risk, especially when taken for more than 5 years. The jury is still somewhat out on this matter though. Heavy doses of radiation therapy may also be a factor, but low-dose mammograms pose almost no risk. The link between diet and breast cancer is debated. Obesity is a noteworthy risk factor, and drinking alcohol regularly -- more than a couple of drinks a day -- may promote the disease. Many studies have shown that women whose diets are high in fat are more likely to get the disease. Researchers suspect that if a woman lowers her daily calories from fat -- to less than 20%-30% -- her diet may help protect her from developing breast cancer. VitaDocs Medical Reference SOURCES: breastcancer.org. WebMD Medical Reference from the American College of Physicians: “Oncology: Breast Cancer.” National Cancer Institutes. Reviewed by Paul O'Neill, MD on May 01, 2007 © 2007 VitaDocs.com All rights reserved.
Trackback(0)
|
Tags
TrackBack URI for this entry
Subscribe to this comment's feed