Most female
students are unaware that lifestyle factors can influence
their risk of developing breast cancer, according to a
survey released on Monday.
A poll of more
than 10,000 students in 23 countries showed more than half
knew heredity was a risk factor. But less than 5% realized
that eating too much, drinking too much alcohol, and
not getting enough exercise also had an impact.
"It is very
worrying that information about being overweight, having
a high alcohol intake, and taking little exercise has simply
not been effectively communicated to young women in
any of the countries we surveyed," said Jane Wardle,
of the charity Cancer Research U.K., who headed the
research team.
American students
were the most aware that lifestyle could place a role
in breast cancer. Ten percent of Americans questioned in the
poll published in the European Journal of
Cancer knew alcohol was a risk factor compared to
4% in England, a percentage that was less than in
Greece, Spain, and Colombia.
Female students
in Iceland, Ireland, Greece, and South America were
better informed about the link between lack of exercise and
breast cancer than English students.
"The results of
this study suggest that students could be
overestimating the impact of genetic factors and are
certainly underestimating the importance of lifestyle
factors," Wardle said.
Breast cancer is
one of the most common cancers in women. More than 1
million cases occur worldwide each year, according to the
International Agency for Research on Cancer in Lyon,
France.
The disease
develops most often in older women. Factors that can also
increase a woman's risk of the breast cancer include having
a mother or close relative with the disease, being in
early puberty or late menopause, and not having any
children.
Some studies also
have shown that lesbians are at a higher risk of breast
cancer than their heterosexual peers. Researchers say this
may be linked to the fact that lesbians are less
likely to have children than heterosexual women and
that on average lesbians may be heavier than straight
women.
The contraceptive
pill and hormone replacement therapy after menopause
may also cause an increase in risk, but the
risk gradually returns to normal once a woman
goes off these regimens.
Students in
countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, and North and South
America took part in the study. (Reuters, with additional
reporting by The Advocate)
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