White women are at more risk of getting breast cancer than those who are black or Asian because they are less likely to breastfeed and more likely to drink alcohol
White women are at more risk of getting breast cancer than those who are black or Asian because they are less likely to breastfeed and more likely to drink alcohol, researchers claim.
A study has revealed that white women in England have the highest rates of the disease.
But it warns that younger women from Asian and black communities could catch up as their lifestyles become more westernised.
Researchers from Oxford University and Oxford University NHS Trust examined data on the living habits and medical and social factors of more than one million women aged 50 to 64 in England.
They found that those from southern Asia had an 18 per cent lower rate of breast cancer, and black women had a 15 per cent lower rate, compared to white women.
The study, published in the British Journal of Cancer, showed Asian and black women had more children than white women and were more likely to breastfeed, which is known to protect against breast cancer.
Around two thirds of white women breastfed their children compared to 83 per cent of black women and 85 per cent of Asian women.
Alcohol is linked to breast cancer and the study showed three-quarters of Asian women were non-drinkers, compared with 38 per cent of black women and 23 per cent of white women.
Around a third of white women were on menopausal hormone therapy – which slightly raises the risk of breast cancer – compared to a fifth of Asian women and 29 per cent of black women.
When the researchers excluded these and other lifestyle factors, the risk of developing breast cancer was found to be similar for women of all ethnic groups.
A study has revealed that white women in England have the highest rates of the disease. But it warns that younger women from Asian and black communities could catch up as their lifestyles become more westernised
But many of the black and Asian women in the study were first-generation immigrants.
The researchers warned that as later generations of women of ethnic minority origin change their lifestyles, their risk of breast cancer will increase.
Author Dr Toral Gathani, from Oxford University, said: ‘In this study of largely post-menopausal women, the lower risk of breast cancer in south Asian and black women is largely explained by differences in lifestyle and reproductive patterns.
‘It’s important for women of all ethnic groups to understand the modifiable risk factors for breast cancer, such as obesity and excessive alcohol consumption, and to reduce their risk.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2535618/How-white-womens-lifestyles-raise-breast-cancer-risk-Alcohol-decision-not-breastfeed-blamed.html#ixzz2ppGWwmmc
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
