Thousands of cases of breast cancer could be prevented every year, according to research by the Lancet breast cancer commission, led by the University of Cambridge. To reduce the risk of the disease, women can do something themselves. “Drink less alcohol and breastfeed more,” the scientists said.
Thousands of cases of breast cancer could be prevented every year if women drank less alcohol and breastfed more, according to a new report focusing on the disease in Britain. The latest figures show that 55,900 women in the country are diagnosed with the disease every year. According to the researchers, one in four of these is due to “modifiable risk factors”. These can be reduced by lifestyle changes.
The experts estimate that 4.7 percent of breast cancer cases in Britain are linked to not breastfeeding. Breastfeeding for a year can reduce the risk of the disease by four percent. The longer a mother breastfeeds her baby, the lower the risk. Britain has one of the lowest breastfeeding rates in the world, with only one in 200 mothers breastfeeding for 12 months. It is not entirely clear how breastfeeding reduces the risk of cancer. It is thought that it has something to do with the changed structure of the breasts and because the mother is temporarily less exposed to certain hormones.
Furthermore, the researchers discovered that women who drink wine every day are 9 percent more likely to develop breast cancer than non-drinkers. That risk can increase by up to 60 percent among the heaviest drinkers. “The report highlights that many cases of breast cancer are preventable, but not enough people are aware of modifiable risk factors and the steps they can take to minimize their chance of developing the disease,” it concludes.
