Hormones have an immense power. They have a major role in the functioning of your body. They control your growth, food processing, and even the working of your immune system.
Hormones can influence your body weight, body temperature and even mood. Well, they can even have an effect on your cancer risk. Most of the time people link estrogen and progesterone with female cancers. However, there are many other hormones that can increase the risk of developing certain cancers in your body.
In this blog, we will discuss the
• Link between hormones and cancer
• Conclusion
• Link between hormones and cancer
There are a number of factors that influence your hormones such as medicines, chronic inflammation and health conditions including obesity.
Following are some of the major factors that involve the hormonal changes, which ultimately lead to increased risk of cancer:
- Birth control pills: These pills control fertility with doses of estrogen and progesterone (female sex hormones). They may reduce the risk of endometrial and ovarian cancers. However, they can elevate the chances of developing breast and cervical cancer.
- Hormone replacement therapy: In women after reproductive age, replacing the declining hormones can improve various unpleasant menopause symptoms. However, hormone replacement therapy can increase the risk of breast cancer and probably ovarian cancer.
Estrogens are a group of female sex hormones that are known as human carcinogens. However, these hormones perform important physiological roles in females and males; they have been linked with an elevated risk of developing cancer. For example, administration of combined menopausal hormone therapy (estrogen combined with progestin) can elevate the risk of breast cancer in women.
Studies have demonstrated that the risk of breast cancer in women is associated with estrogen and progesterone produced by her ovaries.
Long term exposure and/or exposure to high levels of these hormones are associated with an elevated risk of breast cancer. The increased exposure can be due to early start of menstruation, late menopause, being older during first pregnancy, and never having given birth.
- Diet: Many studies show that the soy food contains plant estrogens that increase the risk of breast or other cancers.
- Endocrine disruptors: Bisphenol-A is a common chemical used in lots of plastic products, which mimics estrogen. It comes under the list of chemicals known as endocrine disruptors as they affect the hormones.
- Chronic inflammation and obesity: Too much body fat causes inflammation. Inflammation and obesity have an impact on hormones and cancer risk. Inflammation causes the increase in the amounts of estrogen and insulin in the body that stimulates the cell division.
Excess body fat makes estrogen. The continuous stress, which is exerted by obesity by causing inflammation and elevating the hormone levels, is a considerable cancer risk.
• Conclusion:
You can lower your cancer risk developing due to hormonal changes by following a healthy lifestyle. Take the help of below mentioned points to regulate your hormones
- Maintain a healthy body weight
- Eat a healthy diet
- Engage in regular exercise
- Avoid sugar and refined carbs
- Learn to manage stress
- Consume healthy fats
- Avoid overeating and undereating
Regulate your hormones with healthy lifestyle tips and reduce the risk of cancer.