Aside from being born with hereditary breast cancer, specialists at the Universite de Montreal believe that being overweight and smoking have a huge effect on whether a woman develops the condition, which affects over 45,000 people year in the UK. Healthcare experts at the facility conducted a study of test subjects and found a direct correlation between breast cancer, smoking and being overweight.
This was achieved by analysing whether the patients had the BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations and shows that cancer cover holders should avoid these two risk factors, said lead researcher Vishnee Bissonauth. The expert, who is a graduate of the Universite de Montreal's Department of Nutrition and a researcher at the Sainte-Justine University Hospital Research Center, said the team focused solely on lifestyle factors when considering the information they had collected.
"To our knowledge, this is the first study conducted on a sample of women without BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations, which are often found in French-Canadian women," she explained. According to the research, smoking a pack of 20 cigarettes every day for nine years increases breast cancer risk by 59 per cent.
In addition, women who put on more than 10kgs in weight after the age of 30 are twice as likely to develop the disease than those whose body mass remains stable. The investigation also found that moderate physical activity decreased cancer risks by 52 per cent for pre-menopausal and post-menopausal women, with Dr Bissonauth saying this illustrates the need for breast cancer insurance customers to exercise frequently.
"Cancer is a complex disease and can be latent for several years. Therefore, it is important to work on the factors we can control and to lead a healthy lifestyle, which means watching one's weight, avoid smoking and doing regular exercise," she advised.
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