5 Simple Ways to Cut Your Breast Cancer Risk

Oct. 6, 2013— -- intro: Breast cancer isn't preventable, but there are small steps you can take to reduce your risk. Start working these habits into your life.

quicklist: 1category: How to Cut Your Breast Cancer Risktitle: Limit yourself to two or three alcoholic drinks a weekurl: text: Alcohol, consumed even in small amounts, is believed to increase the risk of breast cancer. Most doctors recommend cutting back on wine, beer, and hard liquor.

A recent study showed the link between drinking and breast cancer was especially strong in the 70% of tumors known as hormone-sensitive.

How Alcohol Affects Your Body

quicklist: 2category: How to Cut Your Breast Cancer Risktitle: Exercise at least three times a week (more often is even better)url: text: And when you do exercise, work to keep your heart rate above its baseline level for a minimum of 20 continuous minutes. Long walks are nice too, but it's the more vigorous exercise (expect to sweat!) that really helps your heart and cuts your cancer risk. Try this 40-minute walking workout.

quicklist: 3category: How to Cut Your Breast Cancer Risktitle: Maintain your body weight, or lose weight if you're overweighturl: text: Research shows that being overweight or obese (especially if you're past menopause) increases your risk, especially if you put on the weight as an adult. And a study released in March 2008 by researchers at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston showed that obese and overweight women also had lower breast cancer survival rates and a greater chance of more aggressive disease than average-weight or underweight women.

Lose 8 Pounds in 2 Weeks

quicklist: 4category: How to Cut Your Breast Cancer Risktitle: Do a monthly breast self-examurl: text: Be sure to get a breast exam from your doctor and have your technique reviewed regularly. You might catch a lump before a mammogram does, and it's a good idea to follow the changes in your body. Here's everything you need to know about breast self-exams.

quicklist: 5category: How to Cut Your Breast Cancer Risktitle: Ask your doctor about a mammogramurl: text: Catching a tumor early boosts the chance of survival significantly: The five-year survival rate can be as high as 98 percent for the earliest-stage localized disease, but hovers around 27 percent for the distant-stage, or metastatic, disease.

This article originally appeared on Health.com.