How can I protect myself against breast cancer?

There are two ways of protecting yourself against breast cancer: a healthy lifestyle and medicinal prophylaxis.

Natural prevention

A healthy lifestyle can help to prevent breast cancer. The following habits have a positive influence:

• Physical exercise

Physical exercise reduces the risk of breast cancer. Try to exercise at least four hours a week. Regular exercise also helps you to avoid becoming overweight or to lose weight.

• Healthy diet
  

Women who are considerably overweight seem to contract breast cancer more often than women of normal weight. The term “considerably overweight” applies to women whose weight is more than 25 per cent above the normal level. The female sex hormone oestrogen is produced in fat tissue, and oestrogen is thought to play a role in the development of breast cancer. A balanced, low-fat, healthy diet will help you maintain your weight and thus avoid breast cancer.

• Refraining from smoking and excessive alcohol consumption
  

Smoking and excessive alcohol consumption increase the risk of breast cancer. By refraining from these activities, you can avoid the risk.

Medicinal prophylaxis

In large-scale studies, scientists have discovered that certain drugs can reduce the risk of breast cancer. These drugs suppress the effect of the female sex hormone oestrogen, thus helping to prevent breast cancer.

In the international trial “IBIS-II”, researchers are investigating the possibilities for preventing breast cancer by means of medicinal prophylaxis.