There are two types of breast cancer: estrogen positive and estrogen-negative. Estrogen-positive cancers are estrogen sensitive, which means that estrogen can stimulate the tumors to grow whereas estrogen-negative cancers are not affected by estrogen. Younger women generally develop estrogen-negative cancers, while postmenopausal women typically have estrogen-positive cancers. By learning about your family history and reading the following information, you can help to lessen the risk of succumbing to breast cancer.
Hormone Replacement Therapy
If you're a woman in menopause and on HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy), talk to your doctor about whether or not HRT is advisable for you, particularly if there is a history of breast cancer in your family. In such instances, the risks of Hormone Replacement Therapy may surpass the benefits. The results of research in the UK and Australia was published in the British Medical Journal in June of 2009 demonstrated that among post menopausal women that did not participate in Hormone Replacement Therapy were less prone to develop breast cancer.
Antioxidants
Start supplementing with antioxidants every day. Antioxidants like Vitamin C, Vitamin E and Vitamin D, reinforce the functions of the immune system and are known to help prevent damaging free radicals from mutating our cells. The mutation of cells attributes to the development of cancer. The Recommended Daily Intake for Vitamin C is 75mg a day for women between the ages of 19 through 70, Vitamin E is 15mg a day for women over 19 years of age and for Vitamin D, women between the ages of 19 to 50, the RDI is 5mcg, women 51 to 70, 10mcg and for those over 71, 15mcg a day.
Mammograms
Talk with your doctor about the dangers of mammograms. Mammograms are a form of x-ray and x-rays can cause our genes to mutate and increase the risk of developing cancer. A study at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found that, of "10,000 women with the BRCA gene who had five mammograms between ages 24 and 29, there was an additional 26 cases of breast cancer."
Tags: breast cancer, Hormone Replacement, Hormone Replacement Therapy, Replacement Therapy, between ages, doctor about, estrogen-negative cancers
