{"id":5907,"date":"2015-10-20T09:00:33","date_gmt":"2015-10-20T09:00:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.drkimplasticsurgery.com\/?p=5907"},"modified":"2015-10-20T09:00:33","modified_gmt":"2015-10-20T09:00:33","slug":"for-breast-cancer-awareness-month-tips-to-lower-your-risk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.drkimplasticsurgery.com\/blog\/for-breast-cancer-awareness-month-tips-to-lower-your-risk\/","title":{"rendered":"For Breast Cancer Awareness Month: Tips to Lower Your Risk"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"iStock_000007425501XSmall\"Since October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, Dr. Sugene Kim and her staff at SGK Plastic Surgery<\/a> wish to honor this annual campaign with some breast health tips that are proven to reduce a woman\u2019s risk of breast cancer.<\/p>\n

Tip #1: Keep a Healthy Weight<\/h2>\n

Since fat produces estrogen in the body, overweight women are at a higher risk for breast cancer. And postmenopausal women who are overweight or obese have a 30 to 60 percent higher breast cancer risk than their peers who are at a healthy weight. Even a reduction of 5 to 10 percent of a woman\u2019s body weight can lessen this risk by half.<\/p>\n

Tip #2: Move Your Body<\/h2>\n

Staying physically active on a regular basis is crucial to reducing your risk of breast cancer as well as other types of cancer. It is recommended that women get at least 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise a week. These exercises would be on the level of a brisk walk, or anything that will make your heart rate rise.<\/p>\n

Tip #3:\u00a0 Limit Your Alcohol Intake<\/h2>\n

When compared with women who don\u2019t imbibe, women who have even three alcoholic drinks per day have up to a 20 percent higher breast cancer risk. Does this mean that you should skip the beer, wine and hard drinks altogether? Not necessarily. The Susan G. Komen foundation recommends limiting your alcohol intake to one drink per day. If you\u2019re tempted to have that second glass of wine, just be aware that for each drink consumed in a day, a woman\u2019s breast cancer risk increases by 7 percent.<\/p>\n

Tip #4: Don\u2019t Skip Your Breast Exam<\/h2>\n

There has been some confusion \u2014 and some shifting recommendations \u2014 in recent years regarding how often, and at what age, a woman should start getting screened for breast cancer. The American Cancer Society suggests the following guidelines:<\/p>\n

For women who are at an average risk of breast cancer:<\/em><\/p>\n