Breast density is not based on how your breasts
feel during your self-exam or your doctor's physical exam.
Research has shown that dense breasts:
- Can be 6 times more likely to develop cancer
- Can make it harder for mammograms to detect breast cancer; breast
cancers (which look white like breast gland tissue) are easier to see on a
mammogram when they're surrounded by fatty tissue (which looks dark).
Why do breasts become dense?
Researchers Seungyoun Jung and Prof. Joanne Dorgan,
from the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health at the University of
Maryland, School of Medicine, investigated dietary factors that might influence
the density of breast tissue. If the results are backed up by further trials,
the implications are serious.
The breasts are most sensitive to external factors
during adolescence. This is a time when they are developing and undergoing
structural change. As such, the team concentrated their focus on this pivotal
stage of development into womanhood.
Essentially, food items consumed as a teenager
potentially increase the risk of breast cancer 15 years later.
High-fat diets, which were implicated in this
research, are already known to produce other unwanted health outcomes, such as obesity,
cardiovascular disease, and diabetes; breast cancer may eventually be added to
that list.
On a positive note, these findings do provide a
unique opportunity to prevent some cases of breast cancer. As Prof. Dorgan
points out, "Our results are particularly interesting because diet during
adolescence is modifiable, whereas most of the well-known risk factors for
breast cancer, such as age at menarche and number and timing of pregnancies,
offer little chance for intervention."
Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in
women.
There are a number of known risk factors for breast
cancer, including early onset periods, late menopause, and having the first
child over the age of 30.
The only other dietary factor that is known to
increase breast cancer risk is high alcohol consumption during adulthood.
Although the results could be construed as worrisome, the more information
science has about breast cancer, the better armed researchers will be when
investigating new treatments.
If you have dense breasts, there lifestyle choices
you can make to keep your breast cancer risk as low as it can be:
- maintain a healthy weight
- regular exercises
- decrease alcohol intake
- consume a balanced diet
- Do not smoke (quit if you do)
Along with lifestyle options, many doctors
recommend additional screening for women with dense breasts. This might include
MRI scanning and ultrasound.
General recommended screening guidelines include:
- a monthly breast self examination
- a yearly breast exam by your doctor
- a digital mammogram every year starting at age 40
Digital mammography is better than film mammography
in women with dense breasts, regardless of age.
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