Beating breast cancer

According to the Baylor College of Medicine, about 12 percent of females born today in the United States will develop breast cancer. Most of the risks associated with breast cancer center on the female hormone estrogen. "Estrogen does a lot of good things, but when present in excess, it promotes the development of breast cancer," says Dr. C. Kent Osborne, director of the Breast Care Center at Baylor College of Medicine and The Methodist Hospital. "Some things associated with higher estrogen levels--like first menstrual period before age 12 or late menopause--cannot be controlled, but lifestyle changes can be effective."

Overweight women should find these facts especially disquieting--fat cells contain the machinery that makes estrogen. Women can reduce their chances of developing this potentially deadly disease by eliminating high-fat fast foods from their diets and exercising more. "Lifestyle definitely is a factor in the risk of breast cancer," says Osborne. "Active women who [have] healthy diet[s] decrease their chances of developing the disease."

Diet and exercise, however, don't come with a cancer-free guarantee. Therefore, women over the age of 40 should have regular mammograms. According to a new study presented at the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology's Annual Meeting last October, women who receive annual mammograms are more likely to have breast cancer detected in its earliest, most curable stage.

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COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning