Related Risk Factors
Related Risk Factors
Lifestyle-related factors are habits or behaviors people participate in. Most of the time they are factors you can control.
Risk Factors That Can Be Modified
- Reproductive factors
- Age at first live birth (full-term pregnancy after age 30 yr)
- Parity
- Lack of breastfeeding
- Obesity
- Alcohol consumption
- Tobacco smoking
- Use of hormone replacement therapy
- Decreased physical activity
- Shift work (night shifts)
- Histologic Risk Factors
- Proliferative breast disease
- Atypical ductal hyperplasia
- Atypical lobular hyperplasia
- Lobular carcinoma in situ
Environmental And Lifestyle Risk Factors
Lack of Physical Activity: A sedentary lifestyle with little physical activity can increase your risk for breast cancer.
Poor Diet: A diet high in saturated fat and lacking fruits and vegetables can increase your risk for breast cancer.
Being Overweight or Obese: Being overweight or obese can increase your risk for breast cancer. Your risk is increased if you have already gone through menopause.
Drinking Alcohol: Frequent consumption of alcohol can increase your risk for breast cancer. The more alcohol you consume, the greater the risk.
Radiation to the Chest: Having radiation therapy to the chest before the age of 30 can increase your risk for breast cancer.
Combined Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT): Taking combined hormone replacement therapy, as prescribed for menopause, can increase your risk for breast cancer and increases the risk that the cancer will be detected at a more advanced stage.
Alcohol Consumption
The risk of developing breast cancer increases with the amount of alcohol you consume. Excessive alcohol consumption is also linked to the increase of several other cancers.Drinking in moderation includes one drink per day for women and two drinks a day for men, as defined by the United States Department of Agriculture.
Obesity
Being overweight after menopause may increase your risk of getting breast cancer.
Motherhood
Never having children, or having children over the age of 35 may increase your risk of developing breast cancer.
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT)
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) can cause dense breasts, which make it more difficult for cancers to be detected in breast tissue. Some types of HRT can also increase your risk for developing breast cancer.
It is important to speak to your doctor about any concerns you may have in regards to breast cancer. Your doctor may recommend lifestyle changes and/or other approaches in order to help lower your risk of developing breast cancer.