‘Changing lifestyle, diet important in preventing breast cancer'

By Gozde Bayar

ANKARA (AA) – Breast cancer can be prevented by changing one’s lifestyle and diet, according to a Turkish doctor.

“In the last 25 years, we’ve observed that the incidence of breast cancer has increased approximately threefold in Turkey. One of the most important reasons for this increase is changes in our lifestyle and diet,” Can Gurbuz, head of the Turkish Breast Cancer Foundation, told Anadolu Agency on the occasion of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Gurbuz said the people in high-risk groups can reduce the risk of developing breast cancer by 50% by making the right changes.

“Your diet affects your risk of developing breast cancer. Especially prepared foods increase your risk through trans fats and some chemicals they contain,” he said.

Underlining that excessive consumption of red meat also increases the risk of breast cancer, he said some estrogen-derived substances and antibiotics used during the breeding of these animals can increase the risk.

He also warned against late-night snacks, since it damages the hormonal system. He recommended eating dinner in the early hours and not consuming any other food later as much as possible.

- Early diagnosis by mammography is life-saving

Inactivity is also one of the important reasons for the development of cancer, he said, encouraging people to exercise, since regular exercise also helps people cope with stress.

“Stress is one of the factors that increases the risk of breast cancer. Stress suppresses your immune system, increasing the risk of developing cancer,” he added.

Highlighting that the risk of breast cancer is slightly increased in women with a family history of breast cancer, he said first-degree relatives including parents and siblings play an important role.

Underlining the importance of regular mammography checks, he said early diagnosis by mammography is truly life-saving.

“There is a common misconception in society about mammography -- radiation exposure during mammograms increases the risk of breast cancer. This is a false belief,” he added.

Thanks to newly developed targeted smart drugs, great strides have been made in the treatment of cancer, he noted.

“We do not have a screening method as effective as a mammogram yet,” he said, adding regular mammograms for almost every woman over the age of 40 significantly reduce breast cancer mortality rates.

“Even though the incidence of breast cancer in the population has increased, the number of deaths due to breast cancer has decreased significantly,” he said.