This month is the Bermuda TB, Cancer and Health Association's Fifth Annual Women's Health and Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

The Association, as well as many other organisations and companies in Bermuda, is trying to increase awareness in order to encourage people to practice prevention and early detection.

In Bermuda, approximately 40 to 50 women are diagnosed with breast cancer every year.

It is important for all of us to learn the facts; the following list is taken from www.nationalbreastcancer.org:

Every woman is at risk for breast cancer; 80 percent of all women diagnosed with breast cancer have no known risk factors.

The leading cause of death for African-American women ages 30 to 54 is breast cancer. African-American women die of breast cancer at twice the rate of white women.

At present, one woman in eight either has or will develop breast cancer at some point during her lifetime.

Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in women of all ages, accounting for one out of every three cancer diagnoses.

Every three minutes a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer.

Every twelve minutes a woman will die of breast cancer.

Seventy eight percent of American women do not practice self-exams and fewer than a third follow recommended guidelines for screening mammography.

Seventy percent of all breast cancers are found through breast self-exams.

Not all lumps are detectable by touch, however, which is why it is important to have regular mammograms in conjunction with a monthly breast self-exam.

Eight out of ten breast lumps are not cancerous. So if you find a lump, don't panic - call your doctor for an appointment.

Mammography is a simple procedure that can reveal small breast cancers up to two years before they can be felt.

When detected early, the five year survival rate for breast cancer approaches over 95 percent!

Do those facts get your attention? This is a very important issue, and it is up to each of us to do everything within our power to prevent cancer, or at the very least to detect it early.

And when it comes to cancer risk, we have more control than you might think. Recent studies show that lifestyle plays a bigger role than heredity in many common cancers, including breast cancer.

Graham Colditz, MD, PhD, a professor of medicine at Columbia University and director of the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center in New York City, says: "There's mounting evidence that more than half of all cancers can be prevented just by knowing the risk factors and taking simple measures to reduce them."

Preventative measures to reduce the risk of breast cancer include:

Limit alcohol intake to one drink a day;

Lose excess weight in relation to your height;

Exercise for three or more hours a week;

Increase your intake of various vegetables;

Increase monounsaturated fats such as olive oil;

Reduce saturated fats such as meat and high-fat dairy products; and

Talk to your doctor about oral contraceptives and oestrogen.

Are these ringing any bells? Most of these points should sound familiar; I preach them all the time.

The benefits of leading a healthy, active lifestyle, including regular exercise and sensible nutrition, are endless.

Breast cancer prevention is just another reason to start taking better care of yourself.

Perform monthly breast self-examinations, have a mammogram every one to two years between ages 40 and 50 and yearly over age 50, eat a low-fat, balanced diet and exercise regularly.

Prevention and early detection are your best defence against breast cancer.