Estrogen is a vital hormone for natural development of female genital organs. From normal sexual development to menstrual cycle to childbearing estrogen acts as the most vital hormone that initiates everything.
The irony is medically estrogen is thought to be implicated in breast cancer risk. This is mainly for the functions estrogen does to female breast including
- It’s function in the developmental stage of breasts
- It stimulates breast cell division
- It’s impact on other hormones that stimulate breast cell division
Women are exposed to estrogen for their lifetime so the risk of breast cancer induced by this hormone is something you can’t set aside. Thus it is vital to know how lifestyle may affect the levels of estrogen in women body.
Diet: Food habit has a great impact on the level of estrogen in the body. Low fat foods that are fiber rich as well can lower the level of estrogen. Obesity increases the risk of postmenopausal breast cancer.
Phytoestrogens are another form of dietary estrogen found in whole grains, vegetables and fruits. Phytoestrogen rich food is considered as a ‘stay-away’ diet for breast cancer. A significant number of medical studies have proven that women who are vegans or take phytoestrogen rich food have lower rates of breast cancer.
Body weight: Females tend to gain weight just before and after menopause which in turn increases the risk of breast cancer. At the time of menopause woman’s body fat becomes the primary source of estrogen as ovaries stop the production of this hormone. Hence, women who have stored more fat in their body would be more prone to breast cancer. Women should keep their weight under control while getting older.
Alcohol: It is now medically supported that drinking alcohol actually increases the risk of breast cancer. Some studies have proven that alcohol increases the volume of circulating estrogen in female bodies. So it is worth to consider whether to drink alcohol or not and if yes then how much to drink.
Birth control pills: Debate continues over the impact of birth control pills in breast cancer. However, the probability of developing breast cancer largely depends upon the amount of estrogen present in the pills and the length of exposure to such pills. Modern day birth control pills bear little amount of estrogen compared to 1960s birth control pills.
A recent study on 54 women who took birth control pills anytime in their lifetime shows little increased risk of developing breast cancer. Such kind of risk usually persists for next 10 years after stopping the consumption of pill.
Normal functioning of female reproductive system along with breast development solely depends on the optimum level of estrogen in women body. Lifetime exposure to this hormone is considered lethal to women as it might develop breast cancer. Knowing the proper functioning of estrogen, its role in breast cancer and exposure to it is thus vital to combat against this deadly complication. It is worth to adjust your lifestyle so that estrogen level always remains in its optimum level.
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