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One risk factor for breast cancer is hormone stimulation. One way to stimulate hormones is hormone replacement therapy. Hormone replacement therapy was a popular treatment for women going through menopause. It was used to control the mood swings and other menopause symptoms. The hormone commonly being replaced was estrogen, with progesterone sometimes being used as well. The greatest risk comes from using a combination of progesterone and estrogen.

One other way for hormone stimulation is an uncontrollable factor, the age a woman begins menstruation and menopause. If a girl starts menstruation before 12, or a woman starts menopause before age 55, she will have an increased risk of developing breast cancer. There are ways to decrease that risk though. If a woman has a full-term pregnancy (38 to 40 weeks) before the age of 30 that may decrease her risk. Also, if a woman breast feeds her infant for at least 12 months or breast feeds several children, her risk may also be reduced.

Medication can also be used to prevent breast cancer. Tamoxifen is the most commonly used and others are being researched right now for their potential use in preventing breast cancer. Tamoxifen is often prescribed to women who have an increased risk of developing breast cancer, either because of genetic factors or other risk factors. This medication works by blocking how estrogen affects the cells in your breast. There are several serious risks associated with tamoxifen use however. These include an increased risk of uterine cancer, stroke and blood clots in the legs or lungs. You need to see your doctor immediately if you develop any symptom of these side effects.

Some women may choose to surgically remove their breasts in order to prevent breast cancer. This is called a preventive mastectomy. This is usually done by women who have a strong family history of breast cancer, as in several women (usually a woman's mother, sisters and/or aunts) in the family have been diagnosed with breast cancer. This surgery reduces the risk of breast cancer by as much as 90%.

Another type of surgery that may be performed to reduce the risk of breast cancer is a prophylactic oophorectomy, or elective surgery to remove the ovaries. This helps reduce the risk of breast cancer because the hormones produced by the ovaries increases a woman's risk of developing breast cancer. The genetic mutations that increase breast cancer risk may also increase a woman's chances of developing ovarian cancer. By removing her ovaries, a woman can dramatically decrease her chances of developing either type of cancer.

A woman's choice of foods and lifestyle may increase her risk of breast cancer. There seems to be a connection between obesity and breast cancer. Some studies have shown that obese women have a higher chance of developing breast cancer because of an increased amount of estrogen in their systems. Another study has shown that women who regularly eat high-fat foods have an increased risk of dying from breast cancer, not just developing it, compared to women from the same population that eat low-fat foods. These two studies suggest that an exercise program and a low-fat diet may decrease your chances of developing breast cancer. One lifestyle choice that may increase a woman's risk of developing breast cancer is alcohol drinking. Studies have shown that drinking alcohol may slightly increase a woman's risk of developing breast cancer. This does not mean that every woman who had a drink to celebrate her birthday or job promotion is at greater risk of cancer. The study suggested that current drinking had more of an impact on the risk than drinking as a young adult.

Michael Russell

Your Independent guide to Breast Cancer

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A great stir was caused by the recent statement by Sheryl Crow on national television that a doctor told her that women should not drink bottled water that has been left in a car, because the heat causes toxins from the plastic to leak into the water. She also said the doctor told her that the chemicals have been found in breast tissue and these chemicals can lead to breast cancer.

Articles on the Internet referenced the websites of organizations that had previously addressed this concern, including Breastcancer.org and Plasticsmythbusters.org, which is affiliated with the American Chemistry Council. Both organizations considered the connection between plastic water bottles and breast cancer risk to be “an urban myth” and say the theory is unproven.

The fact that a direct causal connection has not yet been proven beyond a shred of doubt does not mean that the theory is a myth.

It has been proven that phthalates, which are compounds used as softeners and plasticizers for products made with polyvinyl chloride (PVC) accelerate breast cell growth in animal studies. These chemicals have also been found to adversely affect the reproductive and endocrine system, especially in baby boys. In a recent study, phthalates were recently linked to low testosterone levels which appears to cause increased belly fat and pre-diabetes in men.

These softeners and plasticizers are used in a variety of consumer and personal care products including food packaging materials, toys, and medical/pharmaceutical devices and drugs. The most commonly used phthalate is DEHP. Food contamination has definitely been found to occur when plastic food packaging materials are made from PVC that was treated with phthalates.
As a general rule, we should not cook or heat foods in most plastics. This caveat is especially applicable to old plastic containers in which the surface is eroding the concern being based upon the fact that plasticizers are released during heating. Not all plastic containers are microwaveable. Look for directions regarding this on the packaging.

According to a panel doctor on Breastcancer.org, scientists make sure that during animal studies they don’t contaminate experiments with plastics by using old plastic equipment that have been used and washed many times. Don’t you think you should be a little more concern about contaminating your body?
It is possible that water left in the car where the temperature can almost reach the boiling point may be cause for similar concern. It may not be one incident of drinking water from a heated plastic bottle that leads to increased cancer risk, but an accumulation of several risky behaviors or exposure related to plastics just may promote cancer.

We don’t know definitively all the causes of cancer, but we are exposed to so many possible agents that may contribute to cancer, some of them are naturally occurring and some are man-made that there will never be ample epidemiological human studies or data that prove or disprove these “myths.” Some of these agents may not directly cause cancer alone, but they can cause direct damage to genes or disrupt the immune system or alter the hormone balance in such a way as to create a fertile environment for cancer cells to grow.

Another of these “myths” that have circulated on the Internet for several years is that using underarm deodorants or antiperspirants that contain parabens can cause breast cancer. And the consensus among scientists is there is no connection between antiperspirants and breast cancer.

Nevertheless, researchers found six different kinds of parabens in the breast cancer tissue samples of women who were being treated for breast cancer. All of the samples contained some parabens. The amount of parabens in the samples was about equal to the amount that had caused breast cancer cells to grow in test tubes in earlier studies.

The researchers concluded that these chemicals enter breast tissue from outside sources and accumulate in levels high enough to trigger the growth of breast cancer cells. Parabens are also used to preserve foods, medicines, and cosmetics. So there are lots of opportunities for exposure to these chemicals.

Another contributor to breast cancer was recently reported in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Cadmium, a toxic heavy metal that can build up in the body over time was linked to increased breast cancer risk.

Researchers measured cadmium levels in the urine samples from a group of women and found that women with the highest cadmium levels had twice the breast cancer risk of those with the lowest levels.
People may be exposed to cadmium from tobacco smoke and some foods such as liver, kidney, crustaceans (lobsters, crabs, and shrimp), and canned fish. People who work with cadmium or in refining and smelting are also exposed, but the U.S. government limits such on-the-job exposure.
But once again, we have the usual disclaimer: “The study doesn't prove cadmium exposure causes breast cancer. It will take more research to figure that out.”

There will never be ample animal studies, much less human epidemiological data that prove or disprove definitively that any specific product or chemicals cause breast cancer in humans. I think it is wise to avoid suspect materials whenever possible. There is usually enough data to conclude whether or not a substance presents a risk that is harmful to your health and may contribute to breast cancer.

Many of these suspect chemicals do not affect only breast cancer risk; they are frequently harmful to the cardiovascular system and overall health.

Consumer reaction that should result if the available data were widely publicized could force consumer product manufacturers and food packagers to search for alternatives.

Syble James is President of Alpha Health Source, online at http://www.AlphaHealthSource.net, where visitors can find supplements, weight-loss programs, body care, organic and natural foods and beverages, and request consultations. Ms. James also researches, writes and consults on VMS, weight loss, health clubs, nutraceuticals, foods, beverages and MLM (supplements and body care) within the investment and fitness industry sectors. She can be reached at Syble.James@AlphaHealthSource.net or 1-800-899-0799.

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Breast Cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer deaths in women. According to the World Health Organization, over one million women will be diagnosed with breast cancer worldwide this year alone.

For women who are at high-risk for breast cancer -- especially those whose mother or sisters have breast cancer -- just knowing their high-risk status can create a life filled with anxiety, worry and a feeling of helplessness. It used to be that the only option they had to minimize their chances of getting the disease was to undergo a prophylactic mastectomy -- which is a radical elective mastectomy to remove the breasts -- a drastic step that many were understandably hesitant to take.

There is now another option for woman at high risk.

A recent study that observed thousands of women in the United States, Canada, Denmark and Sweden has proven that Breast Reductions significantly lower the risk of a high-risk woman developing breast cancer. The study determined that Breast Reductions lowered their risk by 50 to 70%.

This is both exciting and promising. To give high-risk women an option, to help them take proactive measures for their own health, is rewarding both to the patients as well as to the surgeons.

How does Breast Reduction Minimize Breast Cancer Risks?

The study concluded that the more breast tissue a high-risk woman had, the more breast cells they had that could become cancerous. In other words: if the tissue was removed it would never be able to become cancerous.

If Breast Reduction is good, wouldn't prophylactic mastectomy be better?

Because prophylactic mastectomies can reduce a high-risk woman's chance of acquiring breast cancer by 90%, they cannot provide a 100% guarantee against developing cancer. For many women, taking a step to have her breasts completely removed yet still retain the chance of developing cancer was not a good enough trade off.

Breast Reductions can drastically lower the chance of cancer and still allow a woman to keep her breasts. For many women this is very important.

Large Breasted and at High Risk?

For those women who are at high risk and large breasted already -- enough that they have been considering Breast Reduction surgery in the past -- this news should be doubly encouraging.

Breast Reductions Offer an Added Measure of Safety.

In addition to the new findings, one other benefit that has always been associated with Breast Reductions should also be pointed out. All tissue removed during Breast Reduction surgery (regardless of the woman's "at risk" status) is biopsied. This is standard operating procedure. It can be very comforting for a woman to understand that if there were any cancerous cells -- regardless of whether or not she is at risk -- they would be found in post-op analysis.

Adrien Brody is a business writer specializing in health and beauty products and has written authoritative articles on the industry. To learn more about breast enhancement, make sure you visit http://curvesenhancement.com

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