It is a telling indictment of western lifestyles that rates of breast cancer are so much higher in developed nations when compared with less developed countries. According to a recent report, 4 times as many women in Britain have breast cancer as their counterparts in East African countries such as Tanzania and Kenya. Even other areas of the world have lower cancer rates: in South America the rate is half that of Britain, in Eastern Asia, that rate is one third.
One of the reasons why 88 women in every one hundred thousand British women will develop cancer as against on 19 women in East Africa is better screening and health care facilities. However, lifestyle factors are a big contributor here as well.
According to experts, 40% of breast cancers are preventable if one has a healthy lifestyle: maintaining a healthy weight, keeping away from smoking, drinking only in moderation and having an active life, one can significantly reduce cancer risk.
According to Dr Rachel Thompson, Deputy Head of Science for WCRF it is a stark reminder that a large proportion of cancers are of the preventable kind and the fact of the 45,000 British women diagnosed with breast cancer each year is not an inevitable one.
Scientific estimates say that about one third of the most common cancers are preventable by just eating right, leading an active life and being a healthy weight.
