Breast cancer claims the lives of more European women than any other cancer and a non-profit organisation is on a mission to highlight the enormous influence of lifestyle factors on breast health.
Europa Donna, the European Breast Cancer Coalition, has declared next Wednesday as the first annual Breast Health Day among its 41 member countries, including Malta.
Almost 132,000 women died from breast cancer in 2006 and every year 430,000 European women are diagnosed with the disease. Locally, breast cancer is the most common cancer among Maltese women, with over 32 per cent.
However, studies show that having a healthy lifestyle - avoiding weight gain, eating nutritiously and being physically active - can greatly reduce a woman's risk of developing breast cancer.
As much as 25 to 33 per cent of breast cancer cases are related to being overweight and physically inactive, according to studies.
Europa Donna's aim is for women and girls of all ages to have access to breast health information and understand the influence lifestyle choices can have on their future health.
"Many women take their health for granted and do not realise that those extra kilos or that extra glass of wine can affect their breast health in the long term. Recent studies indicate that women who avoid being overweight reduce their risk of postmenopausal breast cancer," Europa Donna president Ingrid Kössler said.
Maintaining a healthy weight, being physically active and eating nutritiously all help protect women's future health.
Postmenopausal obesity is associated with an increased risk of breast cancer and overweight women have more abnormal mammogram readings than women of normal weight.
This is of particular concern since, in the EU-27, an average of about 60 per cent of women aged 55-64 and 37 per cent of those aged 35-44 are overweight or obese.
Growing evidence shows there is a protective association between physical activity and breast cancer, preferably over a lifetime, but probably beneficial even if begun after menopause. Engaging in moderate exercise for at least 30 to 60 minutes every day can help maintain breast health.
Eating a well-balanced diet (with fat intake not exceeding 30 per cent), including fresh fruit and vegetables in daily food choices and limiting intake of red meat, has numerous health benefits.
Limiting alcohol intake to one glass of wine or beer a day (10 grams of alcohol or less per day) can also help reduce the risks of breast cancer.
Mammography is widely accepted as the best method to detect breast cancer early. Studies show that women aged 50 to 69 who attend mammography screening reduce their risk of dying of breast cancer by about 35 per cent.
Europa Donna executive director Susan Knox said mammography screening should be conducted according to the recommendations in the European Guidelines for Quality Assurance in Breast Cancer Screening and Diagnosis.
"When done properly, it saves women's lives. We need to prevent the disease through healthy lifestyles and to detect it as early as possible when it does occur in all countries across Europe," she said.
From now on, Breast Health Day will take place every year on October 15.
Europa Donna is represented in Malta by the Breast Care Support Group, a non-profit organisation that works to support women with breast cancer and their families and to raise breast health awareness.
It relies entirely on membership fees, donations and sponsorships to continue its work. Last year, the group collected €718.84 from public donations, which went towards the printing of breast health information.
The group will be holding its annual lecture in memory of Hilda Schembri, one of its founding members, on October 16. Entitled Be Breast Aware... It Can Save Your Life, the lecture will be held at the Hotel Phoenicia, Floriana, at 7.30 p.m.