Kefah Mokbel, Professor of Medicine at Cardiff University School of Medicine, shared on LinkedIn:
“Can a healthy lifestyle help reduce breast cancer risk, even in women with a higher genetic predisposition?
A new 2026 study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute offers an encouraging message: healthy lifestyle choices matter, regardless of inherited genetic risk.
What did the researchers find?
Researchers analysed data from 22,725 postmenopausal women across five racial and ethnic groups in the Multiethnic Cohort.
The findings were striking:
- Women with the healthiest overall lifestyle scores had a 33% lower risk of developing breast cancer compared with those with the lowest scores.
- This protective association was observed in women with both higher and lower genetic susceptibility.
- Body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference showed particularly strong associations with breast cancer risk.
- The findings reinforce the importance of addressing modifiable lifestyle factors as part of cancer prevention.
What does this mean in practice?
While we cannot change our inherited genes, we can influence several lifestyle factors associated with cancer risk:
- Eating a balanced, nutritious diet
- Staying physically active
- Maintaining a healthy body weight and waist circumference
- Avoiding smoking
- Limiting alcohol consumption
- A message for healthcare professionals
Genetic risk assessment is increasingly important in personalised medicine. However, genetic susceptibility should not overshadow the role of lifestyle in prevention. We need to integrate evidence-based lifestyle counselling into routine clinical care, risk assessment and cancer prevention strategies.
A message for everyone
Having a genetic predisposition does not mean that breast cancer is inevitable. Equally, a healthy lifestyle cannot guarantee prevention. But the evidence suggests that healthier lifestyle patterns are associated with meaningful reductions in risk, including among women with elevated genetic susceptibility.
The key message: Genetics influences risk, but lifestyle remains an important part of prevention.
Title: Lifestyle and genetic risk factors for postmenopausal breast cancer in the multiethnic cohort
Authors: Chenya Zhao, Eric S. Kawaguchi, Gertraud Maskarinec, David V. Conti, Christopher A. Haiman, Loïc Le Marchand, Lynne R. Wilkens, Anna H. Wu, Fei Chen, Eunjung Lee
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