Be Breast Cancer Aware: Our Top Tips To Keeping Your Breasts Healthy

If we told you six women a day in Ireland find out they have breast cancer, would this encourage you to take better care of your breasts?

If we said around 650 women in Ireland die from breast cancer annually, would this make you more aware of the disease?

It’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month and everybody is talking about their breast checks, the Pink Ribbon campaign and their own experiences of the disease. Yesterday, Her.ie columnist Mairead Farrell spoke about how she lost her own beloved mum to the “silent disease”.

But this awareness should be there all year around. People should be planning breast checks, spreading the word and speaking about the dangers of breast cancer for the other eleven months of the year too.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer and the leading cause of cancer death among women in Ireland. Irish women have a shocking one in 11 chance of developing the cancer in their lifetime.

But the positive news is if breast cancer is found early, it is easier to treat and a woman has a high chance of recovery.

We’ve compiled nine Breast Cancer Awareness tips for you today, but keep them in mind all year around.

They are simple tips, most don’t even involve lifestyle changes. The key is to be aware of your body and any changes it may experience the whole year around.

The Breast Cancer Awareness Tips:

Be Fitness Aware

A recent study found that walking for 90 minutes a day can decrease a woman’s risk of breast cancer by 30 per cent. Call a friend and go for a walk in the evening. It will keep you fit, healthy and in tune with the gossip. Get yourself feeling a little out of breath and sweaty, it’s good for you.

Be Family Aware

In about 15 per cent of breast cancer cases, there is a family history of the disease. This could give you a heads-up on any body changes you may experience very early on. If you have a first-degree relative who had breast cancer, your lifetime risk doubles, and if you have two your risk increases five-fold.

Be Breast Aware

Do you ever actually examine your breasts? A report by Avon reveals that a third of women rarely or never check their breasts for any abnormalities. Add it to your routine, along with fitness, beauty and hygiene. If there are any changes in texture, shape or if you notice anything unusual, contact your doctor.

Be Drink Aware

Alcohol can change hormone patterns. The more you drink, the more your risk of the caner increases. It is not yet known if binge-drinking can increase the risk of breast cancer more than drinking the same amount steadily throughout the week. Take care of yourself.

Be Weight Aware

Being overweight can increase your risk of breast cancer. Forget about crash-dieting, this is just as bad for your health. It’s simple, just eat healthy. Fill up on protein, soluble fibre and unsaturated fats like oily fish, avocados and nuts.

Be Implant Aware

You might be craving 34Cs in place of your 34As but implants can affect breast screening. Your mammogram will not be as effective as the X-rays cannot see through the implant to the breast tissue behind it. Think twice.

Be Breast-Feeding Aware

Women who breastfeed for about a year in their life (not necessarily continuous) are almost 5 per cent less likely to develop breast cancer than those who don’t breastfeed, the World Cancer Research Fund has found.

Be Bra Aware

What size bra are you wearing? When was the last time you got measured? It’s estimated that four out of five women are wearing the wrong size bra. Apart from making your breasts look perky, a good-fitting bra is needed to support them comfortably.

Be Stress Aware

Although there has been no proven link between stress and cancer, Dr Palframan tells the Irish Daily Mirror today that it can lead to unhealthy behaviour such as drinking and weight gain. So find a stress reliever and relax.

It's Breast Cancer Awareness Month, be aware.