Non-veg diet, poor sleep, obesity linked to breast cancer risk

Non-vegetarian diet, poor sleep and obesity have been associated with increased risk of breast cancer which is expected to rise by about 5.6 per cent annually leading to an estimated increase of 0.05 million new cases per year, according to an ICMR study.

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Reproductive timing, hormonal exposure and family history also influence breast cancer risk primarily among Indian women, stated the study conducted by ICMR's National Centre for Disease Informatics and Research based in Bengaluru.

In 2022, an estimated 2.3 million women worldwide were newly diagnosed with breast cancer, resulting in approximately 670,000 deaths.

In India, breast cancer is one of the leading cancer sites, with an estimated 2,21,757 cases reported in 2022, accounting for close to a quarter (22.8 per cent) of cancers in women.