Happiness 'can cut breast cancer risk by a quarter'

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LONDON, Aug 22 (PTI): You may not be able to prevent breast cancer. But you can the risk of developing the disease to an extent -- just be happy and think positively.

A new study has revealed that positive thinking and happiness could reduce a woman's chance of developing breast cancer by a quarter while traumatic events like divorce and bereavement might have an adverse effect. "We can carefully say that experiencing more than one severe and/or moderate life event is a risk factor for breast cancer among young women.

On the other hand, a general feeling of happiness and optimism can play a protective role. "Young women who have been exposed to a number of negative life events should be considered an 'at-risk' group for breast cancer and should be treated accordingly," lead researcher Ronit Peled was quoted by British media as saying.

In fact, Dr Peled and colleagues at the Ben-Gurion University of Negevin in Israel have based their findings on an analysis of a group of women -- 255 breast cancer patients and 367 healthy ladies, all aged between 25 and 45 years. The breast cancer patients were asked to detail personal tragedies or losses, including the death of a parent or husband, divorce or loss of a job.

Then their answers were compared with those of the healthy women. Analysis showed a clear link between outlook and risk of breast cancer, with optimists 25 percent less likely to have developed the disease. Conversely, women who suffered two or more traumatic events had a 62 percent greater risk. "It was found that a feeling of happiness and optimism has a 'protective effect'," according to the researchers whose study has been published in the latest edition of 'BMC Cancer' journal.