Breast cancer is linked to poor diet and low exercise in the early years

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Breast cancer is linked to poor diet and low exercise in the early years, says report

Breast cancer is linked to the diet that women had when they were young, a new report claims.



By a Sunday Telegraph reporter
Last Updated: 12:01PM GMT 15 Mar 2009

The findings could lead to more sports being encouraged in schools Photo: Gary Prior


Girls' diet and the amount of exercise they take can determine their risk of breast cancer in later life, it says.
The report also revealed a history of glandular fever might also have an influence on later risk.

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An analysis of 1,146 girls from birth to age 13 linked obesity and lack of exercise to an increased risk of breast cancer.
The study, Nutrition in Children and Breast Cancer Childhood, was led by Professor Jaak Janssens, president of the European Cancer Prevention Organisation, in Hasselt, Belgium.
It said: "Breast cancer seems to originate almost entirely in childhood. The breast is most vulnerable at the very onset of development."
The report continues: "Further research should focus on nutrition in children and breast cancer risk to prevent the disease."
It also highlighted a link between the disease and exposure to "gender-bending" chemicals in childhood.
Professor Florian Strasser, Scientific Chair of the conference for the European Society for Medical Oncology, where the study will be presented next week, said: "This could become a big public health issue.
"If this is proved we have even bigger grounds to go into schools and preschools and encourage more sports and healthier eating.