Your Choices

Individuals who lead a sedentary lifestyle are at a risk of developing a variety of health problems, cancer is a risk. What you eat and drink also play roles in determining your unique risk. If you like to indulge in high caloric diets and drink alcohol you may be placing yourself in a higher risk category than someone who used moderation. Obesity is a problem – fat tissue produces estrogen, so the more fat you have the more estrogen floating through your body having a similar effect to hormone replacement therapies.

Smoking is also associated with increased cancer risk, not just breast cancer but a variety of other health problems can be attributed to smoking and nicotine dependence.

Your occupation may also increase your risk of developing certain cancers. If you work with known toxic chemicals all the time – long term exposure has been linked to cancers. Nuclear scientists and nuclear plant employees also have an increased risk simply based on the field in which they work.

The amount of radiation you are exposed to in your career may also impact your risk; this includes those working in radiology but also anyone in the airport near those back-scatter units, or individuals who fly all the time like pilots or flight attendants. One flight from NYC to LA is roughly equivalent to getting a chest x-ray, but no one is monitoring that dose.