Prevent and Detect Breast Cancer

October is national breast cancer awareness month. In that spirit, I'd like to point out the National Cancer Institute's guide to breast cancer prevention. There are many risk factors that you cannot control, and even without any risk factors you might still get cancer. There is no form of "prevention" that is %100 perfect. What you can do is reduce the risk as much as you can. The overview discusses known factors that increase the likelihood of getting breast cancer, including:

- exposure to the hormone estrogen
- obesity
- drinking alcohol

Other less proven factors include:
- environment
- diet, although a diet rich in beta-carotene, folate and vitamins A and C shows promise

The best thing you can do to protect yourself is get a mammogram. Early detection is the key to surviving breast cancer.

Read NCI's guide to breast cancer prevention.

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