Fact: One of the more prevalent myths that scare women is the fear that wearing deodorant or antiperspirant will cause breast cancer. One of the theories is that antiperspirant prevents you from "sweating out" toxins, which then accumulate in the lymph nodes and consequently cause breast cancer; another is that the aluminum in antiperspirant is carcinogenic. In 2002, researchers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle conclusively found no link between antiperspirant and breast cancer.
Another common deodorant rumor is that the body absorbs the chemicals in antiperspirants, like parabens, which then enter the bloodstream. One study in 2004 did find traces of parabens in a small sample of breast cancer tumors, but the study did not find any cause-and-effect connection, nor did it determine the source of the parabens, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS).
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Myth No. 2: Using hair relaxers increases the risk of breast cancer in African-American women
Fact: While breast cancer is less prevalent in African-American women than Caucasians, if an African-American is diagnosed with the disease her fatality rate is 37 percent higher than a white woman's. In fact, African-American women have the highest breast cancer mortality rate of all ethnic groups, according to the ACS. In 2007, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) set out to discover if the chemicals in hair relaxers commonly used by African-American women to straighten their hair could be to blame. The NCI conducted a study looking at African-American women who had used relaxers seven or more times every year for at least 20 years. The study's conclusion? You can head to the hair salon without fear. There is no link between hair relaxers and breast cancer.
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Myth No. 3: French fries cause breast cancer
In 2005, a study was published in the "International Journal of Cancer" that assessed whether preschool diets contributed to breast cancer risks manifesting at a later age. The "Daily Mail" then reported that feeding your preschool daughter about five French fries a week "raises [her] risk of breast cancer by 27 percent."
As the first large cancer risk study on childhood diets, this "fact" was largely considered truth until in 2010, when two large studies were conducted to search for the link between the chemical acrylamide (found in foods cooked at high temperatures) and the risk for breast, endometrial, and ovarian cancers. The studies, published in "Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention," found no link.
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Myth No. 4: Having an abortion increases your risk of getting breast cancer
Fact: "What we know is that women who have had children and who have had full-term pregnancies have a reduced risk of getting breast cancer," says Birhiray. According to the "Journal of Mammary Gland Biology and Neoplasia," women who complete a first full-term pregnancy before turning 20 have half the risk of developing breast cancer as women whose first full-term pregnancy is after 30. "I believe some people have taken the opposite to also be true, meaning that if you don't complete a full-term [such as induced abortions or miscarriages], you're raising your risk of getting the disease," says Birhiray. "And there is no clear evidence that that is true."
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Myth No. 5: Large breasts mean an increased risk of breast cancer
Fact: This is another myth that has no science to back it up, says Birhiray. While larger breasts may be harder to examine, and a tumor can theoretically go undetected, there is no proven link between breast size and breast cancer, says the doctor, who explains the rational for the myth: "It appears that women who get a breast reduction have lower risks of developing breast cancer -- but the opposite doesn't hold true. There's no convincing data that your cup size contributes to your risk."
Ahh, October. The leaves are falling, your man is caught up in baseball playoffs, you're wearing your deepest lipstick shades instead of gloss, and it looks like Pepto-Bismol exploded all over the country.
From pink, leopard-spotted rifles (yes, hunting rifles) to the Adam & Eve Natural Contours Pink Ribbon Vibrator, you can't take two steps without being reminded that it's Breast Cancer Awareness month.
We know you're rolling your eyes at the ridiculous number of salmon-hued paraphernalia inundating you this month. But if there's an upside to the pink product overkill, it's this: It often prompts us to slow down for a moment and wonder, "Am I really doing everything I can to prevent this life-threatening disease from happening to me?"
Sure it's easy to scoff at some of the more ridiculous behaviors that supposedly cause cancer, like gabbing on your cell phone for more than 10 minutes a day or eating too many French fries. But admit it -- instead of chalking these risk factors up to being totally ludicrous, you have a nagging suspicion that some of them might actually be true.
Breathe.
Before you drop $100 on a state-of-the-art cell phone headset or boycott McDonald's for good, keep reading. Dr. Ruemu E. Birhiray, MD, a leading oncologist in Indianapolis, debunks some of the most prevalent myths about what causes breast cancer, so we can focus on the risk factors that matter most.
