White women have a higher risk of developing breast cancer compared to black and Southeast Asian women, according to a recent study.
The lifestyle of white women puts them at greater risk of developing breast cancer. This is the result of a recent study by the University of Oxford (United Kingdom), published in the British Journal of Cancer, comparing the risks of breast cancer in white, black and Southeast Asian women living in Britain.
Social and reproductive factors
A study was carried out on more than one million women in the United Kingdom, between 1996 and 2001. The participants, aged 50 to 64, filled out questionnaires on their state of health and their lifestyle. Data from the national health service, the NHS, was collected in order to obtain reliable statistics on breast cancer. When only genetic factors are taken into account, different ethnic groups are at the same risk. On the other hand, reproductive factors as well as lifestyle strongly influence it.
We already knew that white women were more likely to have this disease. This study provides us with an explanation. Breastfeeding, having many children or even alcohol consumption are some of the things that can increase the risk of developing breast cancer. “The lower incidence of breast cancer in black and Asian women compared to white women in England is largely, if not totally, due to differences in risk factors for the disease,” the report said. ‘study.
Less breastfeeding, more alcohol in white women
White women conceive and breastfeed less than Asian and black women (69% vs. over 80%). On the other hand, we see that black and Asian women abandon hormonal therapy more than their white counterparts. These differences are found in the lifestyle of the respondents: the Asian participants were three quarters not to drink. Only two-thirds of black women abstained, compared with less than a quarter of white women.
Over the 12-year follow-up period, 3.7% of black and Asian women had breast cancer compared to 4.5% of white women. The risk for the former was reduced by 18% compared to Caucasians. This does not mean that we should relax, since the risk factors are only sociological, reminds Dr Toral Gathani, lead author of the study: “It is important for women of all ethnic groups to understand what are the modifiable risk factors for breast cancer, such as obesity and excessive alcohol consumption, and to take the necessary steps to reduce the risks. “
This lower risk of developing breast cancer disappears completely when women of other ethnic origins adopt the Western way of life. The researchers recall that the Asian and black women interviewed are most often first generation immigrants, who have retained the way of life of their country of origin. The risk of breast cancer could therefore increase sharply in their offspring, more often adept at living in the West.
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