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Stress raises breast cancer risk

Young women who are exposed to more than one stressful event in their life have a higher risk of developing breast cancer.

Stress raises breast cancer risk

Young women who are exposed to more than one stressful event in their life have a higher risk of developing breast cancer. To investigate the role of stress in increasing the odds of breast cancer, researchers from Israel studied 255 women aged between 25 and 45 years who had been diagnosed with breast cancer and compared them with 367 women of the same age who were free from the disease. The participants were asked about severely stressful experiences in their lives such as loss of a parent, spouse or a close relative, or divorce of parents; as well as events considered mild or moderately stressful, such as severe illness, economic crisis, job loss, or separation from a spouse. The participants also completed questionnaires to evaluate their levels of anxiety, depression, happiness and optimism. It was found that women who had experienced two or more severe or mild-to-moderate life events were 62 percent more likely to have breast cancer. Further, women with breast cancer were statistically more likely to have higher scores for depression and lower score for happiness and optimism. On the other hand, women with a general feeling of happiness and optimism had a 25 percent lower risk of having breast cancer. The above findings add to the evidence that stress contributes to major health hazards and that a positive and optimistic approach in life is good for one's overall health. The researches noted that women who suffer severe losses in their young age should be considered as a breast cancer risk group and be treated accordingly.
BMC Cancer
August 2008
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