Things You Can Do to Help Prevent Breast Cancer

Yes, thankfully breast cancer is slowly on the decline. But it is still a very real threat. Breast cancer still kills women everyday.

Heart disease is still the number one killer of women. Yet, when asked many women will tell you that developing breast cancer scares them more. Why? Part of it is emotional reasons. Part of it is physical reasons. Women's breasts are more than just a part of their bodies. Breasts are a symbol of sexuality, motherhood and feminineness to women.

Heredity plays a big part in developing breast cancer. Experts say that heredity can play as much as 10 percent of the reason why women develop breast cancer. But other factors can also play into why some women develop cancer and why others do not.

The following is a list that may help keep you from developing breast cancer. It is not a guarantee that you won't get breast cancer. Doctors are not one hundred percent sure as to why some women get breast cancer while others do not. But by following these strategies you may lower your odds in getting breast cancer and you may also improve your overall health.

1. Exercise more. Are you groaning? Most people hate exercise. But by exercising more this just means moving more. If you don't want to join a gym, you don't have to join one. You just need to move more. Take more walks with your dog. Skip the elevator occasionally and take the stairs. Even small movements will add up in the end.

2. Maintain your weight. A study of 44,000 postmenopausal women found that the women who gained 60 pounds after the age of 18 tripled their risk of developing breast cancer compared to those who only gained 20 pounds. Even scarier was the fact that these women also seem to have an increased risk of developing a faster spreading type of cancer because their body mass index was higher than 25. If you want to learn what your BMI is go at cdc.govv/bmi.