Breast Cancer: Are You at Risk?

1. Do you eat a high-fat diet, with few vegetables?

Yes/No

2. Are you overweight or obese?

Yes/No

3. Do you get limited exercise?

Yes/No

4. Do you consume more than one alcoholic beverage a day?

Yes/No

5. Have you undergone long-term use (several years or more) of hormone-replacement therapy (HRT)?

Yes/No

6. Have you taken oral contraceptives for more than five years?

Yes/No

7. Are you childless, or did you have your first child after age 30?

Yes/No

8. Do you have a mother, sister or daughter who has had breast cancer, or a male relative with breast cancer?

Yes/No

9. Did you start your period before age 12, or did you go through menopause after age 50?

Yes/No

10. Are you older than age 50?

Yes/No

SCORING

Your risk of breast cancer is low if you have 0 to 2 yes

answers, moderate if you have 3 or 4, and high if you have 5 or more. Note: Questions 8 through 10 refer to

risk factors you cannot change. A yes answer to these

questions may indicate a higher risk.

How to Modify Your Risk ● Slash the trans fats. Replace processed foods with fresh poultry, fish, fruits and vegetables. ● Maintain a healthy weight. Women who stay fit and trim throughout their lives are less susceptible to postmenopausal breast cancer. ● Become more active. Try to exercise most days of the week, since physically active women have a reduced risk of breast cancer. ● Review medications. Hormone-replacement therapy and oral contraceptives raise your risk of breast cancer, as well as heart disease, blood clots and stroke. Talk to your doctor about whether you should be on these medications.

● Watch those drinks. Alcohol increases estrogen to abnormal levels in your body, possibly setting the stage for the development of cancer. So limit yourself to no more than one glass of an alcoholic beverage daily. ● Add another screening tool. While mammograms have saved countless women’s lives and still hold a place in breast cancer screening, a newer screening tool called breast thermography, which uses infrared imaging to painlessly measure heat in breast tissue, may be helpful for detecting cancer even earlier. For more information, visit www.breastthermography .com. And don’t neglect your monthly self-exams.

Keep it to one.

Even though there are

proven benefits to

drinking red wine,

keeping it to one

drink per day

will provide

even more

long-term

health.