Ladies, did you know the risk for yourself of getting breast cancer is 1 in 27 people in Malaysia? The older you get, the higher your risk of developing this form of cancer. That’s why we must always practice a healthy lifestyle and always be aware of our own body.

According to global statistics, cancer is the leading factor of death worldwide with breast cancer having a major number of 2.26 million cases by 2020. In Malaysia, records show that breast cancer cases are increasing for girls aged 25 and above and peaking at age 60-64. years.

Many must be wondering what tips can be taken to prevent breast cancer. It’s true that there are also risk factors such as hereditary diseases that cannot be avoided, but let us not be complacent and begin taking early preventive measures. Let's take a look at some of the lifestyle tips that can help reduce the risk of developing this disease!

Know Your Breast Density

It all starts with your body itself, by recognizing whether your breasts are dense or not. This is extremely crucial because if it’s dense, your chances of getting cancer are six times higher. So how can we check if our breasts are dense? It’s simple, make sure you are diligent in doing mammograms and breast clinical examinations regularly, especially when you are in your 30s with a gynecologist. You can also do a self breast examination at home on a daily basis, the easiest is during bath time. This step is very beneficial for early detection of cancer for a good prognosis. Be sure to report any changes in the appearance or texture of the breasts to your doctor.

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Activate Your Body

If you wanna know, we can also reduce the risk of breast cancer with physical activities such as jogging, yoga and playing badminton. So why is exercising so important? Haa, that's because our ovaries produce estrogen on its own but after menopause it stops and estrogen turns into fat. So, women who have high fat tissue in the body are more at risk for developing breast cancer. There are also studies that show that women who exercise regularly have a healthy estrogen ratio from unhealthy ones, further lowering the risk of developing breast cancer. You can try as easy as walking fast for 1 hour 25 min minimum. It can calm the mind and reduce the risk of cancer.

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Take a Proper Diet

Food is a basic thing for all of us. However, you have to be aware of your eating habits because the intake of essential vitamins and nutrients is necessary to stay healthy. It’s been proven in various studies how diet can affect the risk of breast cancer. For example, carotenoids contained in fruits, leafy vegetables, sweet potatoes, tomatoes and ‘red pepper’. It acts as an antioxidant and women who have high carotenoid levels have a 19% lower risk than those who have low carotenoids in the body. After this, you can improve your daily diet by consuming 2.5 cups of fruits and vegetables. Start limiting your intake of processed red meat and eat whole grains as a snack throughout the day. When you practice healthy eating, your body will definitely be healthier and reduce the risk of breast cancer and other diseases.

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It's true, sometimes even after practicing a healthy lifestyle, you still get chronic diseases like this. But there is no loss if we take the initiatives as above in order to enjoy a better quality of life. Fulfill your responsibility in taking care of your health starting today!