According to recent studies, the main cause of breast cancer that almost everyone ignores is obesity, especially after menopause.

Fat cells in the body can produce estrogen, which levels in the body rise due to obesity, even after the ovaries stop producing it. This hormone increases the risk of breast cancer.

High levels of insulin in the blood of obese people can also be a factor associated with the growth of breast cancer.

To avoid this, you should maintain a healthy weight throughout your life, pay attention to proper nutrition, and get adequate physical activity.

Losing any amount of weight can help reduce the risk of breast cancer. For example, losing about 26 pounds (11.7 kilograms) can reduce the risk of breast cancer by about 26%.

Commonly Overlooked Risk Factors for Breast Cancer

Risk factors related to breast cancer can be divided as follows:

Lifestyle factors:

• Alcoholic beverage consumption: The data indicates that drinking one drink per day increases the risk of developing the disease by 7-10%, and this percentage doubles for those who drink two drinks per day.
• Obesity and being overweight: Obesity can be considered The Major Cause of Breast Cancer Almost Everyone Ignores, as fat cells produce the hormone estrogen, which fuels the growth of cancer cells, especially after menopause, as well as increased levels of insulin in the blood of obese people.
• Physical Inactivity: can increases the risk of developing breast cancer, which is why doctors recommend practicing moderate physical activity such as walking 150 minutes per week or intense physical activity such as running for at least 75 minutes per week.

Factors related to the duration of breast tissue exposure to estrogen:

• Reproductive history: Women who have never had children or who have given birth at a later age have a slightly higher risk of developing breast cancer because breast tissue is exposed to higher levels of estrogen.
• Age of onset of menstruation and age of menopause: If menstruation begins before the age of 12 or menopause occurs after the age of 55, this can increase the risk of developing the disease.
• Breastfeeding: Women who breastfeed their children have a lower risk of developing the disease, especially if breastfeeding lasts for more than six months.
• Hormone therapy: such as hormonal contraceptives increase the risk of developing the disease.

Factors you can’t control:

• Breast density.
• Family history.
• Genetics.
• Ethnicity.
• Gender.
• Age.
• Personal history of disease.
• Benign breast tumors.
• Chest x-ray. (CDC, 2024)

The Role of Hormonal Imbalances in Breast Cancer Development

Hormonal imbalance, especially in estrogen and progesterone, is an important factor in increasing the risk of breast cancer. This can be explained as follows:

Activation of estrogen receptors and progesterone receptors:

When estrogen and progesterone receptors are activated, a complex series of events begins in breast cells, where cell growth and proliferation are activated and their death is inhibited.

When there is an imbalance in raising estrogen levels and lowering progesterone levels, this may cause a defect in cell division, so they grow uncontrolled, leading to the appearance of cancerous tumors.

In addition, the increase in estrogen is supported by an increase in the blood vessel network that feeds the breast.

This increase affects the function of the immune system in the tissues surrounding the breast, which supports the nutrition and growth of diseased cells and supports their evasion of the immune system’s resistance to them. (Satpathi, 2023)

How Lifestyle Changes Can Reduce Breast Cancer Risk

After we learned about the major cause of breast cancer almost everyone ignores, you can make some changes in your lifestyle to protect yourself from the disease and reduce the risk of infection, which are as follows:

Food: Eat healthy food rich in vegetables, fruits and whole grains, avoid foods rich in saturated and trans fats, and refrain from smoking and drinking alcohol.

Do moderate physical activity: Make sure to do this 150 minutes a week.

Weight control: Make sure to keep your weight within safe limits to protect you from many diseases.

Reproduction and breastfeeding: Early childbirth and breastfeeding are factors that reduce the risk of infection with the disease.

Periodic examinations: Do periodic examinations, whether at home or with specialists, to ensure the safety of breast tissue and discuss with your doctor risk factors related to age, ethnicity, genetic genes, medical history and hormonal medications.

All of this can reduce the percentage of fat cells that produce estrogen and help you support your immune system and if the disease arises you will be able to get treatment in the early stages.

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References

CDC. (2024). Retrieved from Breast Cancer Risk Factors: https://www.cdc.gov/breast-cancer/risk-factors/index.html

Satpathi, S. (2023). PubMed. Retrieved from Unveiling the Role of Hormonal Imbalance in Breast Cancer Development: A Comprehensive Review: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10415229/