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Study Stress can not cause breast cancer
Recently, there have been some cases in which prominent women have died of breast cancer. For this reason, the topic is currently again on everyone's lips. For a long time, physicians believed that stress increases the likelihood of breast cancer. Researchers have now found that stressful events such as divorce or death do not affect the risk of breast cancer.
There are many women in the world who suspect that their breast cancer has been triggered by stress. Scientists have now found in an investigation that there is apparently no relationship between stress and the development of the disease. The physicians published the results of their study in the journal "Breast Cancer Research".
There are many different reasons why women can develop breast cancer. Researchers now found that stress is none of those reasons. Stress does not lead to increased breast cancer risk. (Image: SENTELLO / fotolia.com)Breast Cancer Now Generation Study
There are already different views on the causes of breast cancer. Earlier study found that there are genes that are responsible for both breast cancer and uterine cancer. For example, cancer prevention organizations say women can protect themselves from the disease by maintaining a healthy body weight, low alcohol intake and increased physical activity. The so-called "Breast Cancer Now Generations Study" has now revealed that stress in no way increases the likelihood of breast cancer. The researchers examined more than 113,000 British women over a 40-year period in the study.
Physicians questioned subjects after stressful events in their lives
Starting in 2003, women were asked if and how often they felt stressed. The physicians determined whether the participants had experienced one of nine stressful events in the past five years. These include, for example, mourning, divorces or the loss of a parent at a young age, explain the doctors. Afterwards, the experts observed the women over an average period of six years to determine how many women developed breast cancer.
Scientists are also considering several other factors
In addition, the researchers collected data on other factors that could be involved in the development of cancer, such as obesity, physical activity, alcohol consumption and the history of breast cancer in the family. The women were also interviewed about the age at onset of their first period, the onset of menopause, the number of children, the age at birth of children and the duration of breastfeeding, the authors explain. This allowed the scientists to consider the influence of these factors to identify possible effects of stress.
Continuous stress due to frequent stress widespread among women
One in three women (34 percent) reported frequent stress or continuous stress over the last five years. Three out of four women (72 percent) reported at least one stressful adverse event in their lives. Of the 106,612 women, 1,783 women developed breast cancer (about 1.7 percent), add the physicians.
Impact of experiences and behaviors determine a challenge
Women often think that the disease was caused by stress, the experts explain. However, the researchers found no relationship between stress and breast cancer. It is still a big challenge to find out what impact experiences and behaviors have on the development of cancer, say the authors. For example, some time ago, another study found that children from overweight fathers are at increased risk of developing breast cancer.
Stress is widespread in life, but not the reason for breast cancer
The current study has analyzed the very large amounts of data of many women. The evidence found that stress is unlikely to increase the risk of breast cancer, explain the physicians. Stressful life events are widespread and many women would experience such situations before they develop breast cancer. Nevertheless, the results make it clear that these burdensome events are not the cause of the disease, the experts add.
Many risk factors for breast cancer can be actively influenced
Age and gender continue to be the major risk factors for breast cancer that can not be affected by women, say the authors. However, women can maintain a healthy body weight, drink little alcohol, and do physical activity to reduce their risk of the dangerous disease. In an ongoing study, German researchers are currently investigating whether such a healthy lifestyle also has a preventive effect against hereditary breast cancer. Further research should lead to a better form of diagnosis, treatment and support of affected women, the researchers explain. (As)