Reducing your risk of breast cancer

1. You can reduce your risk of breast cancer by making some small changes to your lifestyle
2. These include limiting the amount of alcohol you drink, keeping to a healthy weight and being physically active regularly
3. Making these changes can also reduce your risk of other major illnesses, like heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes, as well as other cancers
4. Many things affect your risk of breast cancer, including some you cannot do anything about such as getting older
5. The recommendations below can help reduce your risk and have many other health benefits

You can reduce your risk of breast cancer by limiting the amount of alcohol you drink.

Regularly drinking alcohol increases your risk of developing breast cancer. And the more you drink, the higher your risk. 

No level of drinking is completely safe. But if you want to drink alcohol, it's recommended you drink no more than 14 units of alcohol a week, spread across 3 days or more.

Tips to cut down on alcohol

1. Have some drink-free days every week: the NHS Drink Free Days app can help
2. Try an alcohol-free wine or beer or a mocktail in place of your usual drink
3. Switch up your social plans and do something that doesn’t involve alcohol, like grabbing a coffee, seeing a film or going for a walk

Find out more: NHS Better Health – Drink less.

Keeping to a healthy weight can lower your risk of getting breast cancer.

Your risk of breast cancer increases if you’re overweight or living with obesity after the menopause.

And the more weight you gain during adulthood, the higher your risk of breast cancer later in life.

Men who are overweight or living with obesity may also have a higher risk of breast cancer.

Healthy weight tips

1. Avoid keeping too many unhealthy snacks like sweets in the house – try snacks such as popcorn, rice cakes or fruit instead
2. Being regularly active is a good way to maintain a healthy weight and reduce your risk of breast cancer
3. Swap sugary drinks for water – you could add some sugar-free squash for extra flavour

Find out more: NHS Live Well – The Eatwell Guide.

Some pharmacies offer a free weight management service to assess your weight and give you advice and support.

Your GP can also recommend and refer you to local support services.

You can reduce your risk of breast cancer by being physically active regularly.

Being active might involve exercise like swimming or cycling.

But it can also mean increasing activity in your daily life. For example, you might try:

• Standing more rather than sitting
• Taking the stairs instead of the lift
• Parking the car further away than you need to and walking the rest of the way

Any amount of activity is beneficial, but more is better.

We’re all recommended to do at least 150 minutes a week of moderate intensity activity (such as brisk walking) or 75 minutes a week of vigorous intensity activity (such as running or swimming).

Activity tips

1. Start small and build up gradually: any amount of activity helps
2. Find something you enjoy: you’re much more likely to stick with an activity if you enjoy it
3. Try “exercise snacking”: build up your weekly activity levels by doing short bursts of exercise a few times a day

Find out more:

• NHS Better Health: How to be more active
• We are undefeatable: Getting active with a health condition
• World Cancer Research Fund: Exercise snacking