The habits include regular exercise, maintaining healthy weight and avoiding alcohol. “Women with these three habits have lower risk of breast cancer,” said study leader Dr. Robert Gramling, a professor of Family Medicine at the University of Rochester Medical Center, New York.
Initially, Gramling wanted to see the effects of lifestyle habits on risk of breast cancer because he thinks some women with a family history of cancer consider the risks can not be controlled.
He analyzed data on U.S. women aged 50-79 years which began in 1993. 5.4 years later, 1,997 women was diagnosed with breast cancer. Gramling then observed the effects of the three healthy habits.
In women who have a history of breast cancer in her family, about six of every 1,000 women developed breast cancer every year. Who’s who did not run a healthy habit that, 7 out of every 1,000 women develop breast cancer per year.
Women without a history of breast cancer in her family who followed the three habits, about 3.5 for every 1,000 are diagnosed with breast cancer each year. This figure is lower than in those who do not follow healthy habits that is approximately 4.6 per 1,000 per year.
For the study, which was published online in the Cancer Research journal, Gramling considered that regular physical activity including exercising for 20 minutes five times a week, moderate alcohol consumption (defined as less than seven drinks a week) and a healthy weight (defined by body mass index between 18.5 to under 25)