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Lifestyle and Breast Cancer: Prevention and Treatment Support
Alicja Ewa Ratajczak, Karolina Jezierska, Aleksandra Szymczak‐Tomczak, Agnieszka Ewa Zawada, Anna Maria Rychter, Kinga Skoracka, Agnieszka Dobrowolska, Iwona Krela‐Kaźmierczak. Cancers, 2025-08-29
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Breast cancer is the most common malignant tumor among women. It is a significant health and social issue affecting 2.3 million women worldwide. Breast cancer is caused by various factors, including gender, age, race, genetics, hormonal balance, obesity, alcohol and many others. A crucial issue related to breast cancer is the impact of diet on the development of the disease. Dietary fats play a key role. Saturated fatty acids and trans fatty acids increase the risk of breast cancer, while polyunsaturated fatty acids have a protective effect. A high-protein diet reduces the risk of breast cancer and improves prognosis among patients. The role of carbohydrates remains unclear, but women may benefit from reducing their intake of high glycemic index foods. Among the macronutrients influencing the development and progression of breast cancer are calcium and magnesium. Adopting a Mediterranean diet may offer benefits. Among the factors influencing the development of breast cancer, the gastrointestinal microbiota is also noteworthy. Regular physical activity can reduce the risk of developing breast cancer, support treatment, reduce side effects and improve patients' quality of life. Chronic stress also contributes to the development of breast cancer by affecting the nervous, hormonal and immune systems, disrupting the body's homeostasis.
Key findings
- It is a significant health and social issue affecting 2.3 million women worldwide.
Why it matters
This review is about breast cancer prevention and treatment support, not Alzheimer's disease. It reports that saturated and trans fats may raise breast cancer risk while polyunsaturated fats, a high-protein diet, a Mediterranean diet and physical activity may be protective.
New to this subject? Start with our plain-English guide: Prevention →
Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 38/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Cancers) |
| Journal's citation record | 2 / 4 | Cancers: journal h-index 221 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 4 / 5 | 2025 — within 3 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 2 / 7 | Cited 11 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 2 / 5 | 3.7 citations a year over 3 year(s) since 2025 |
| Impact for its field and year | 3 / 6 | Cited 4.1× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 0 / 6 | No other study in this library cites it |
| Still being cited | 1 / 4 | Cited 11 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 2 / 4 | Last-listed author Iwona Krela‐Kaźmierczak: h-index 28 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 0 / 3 | Poznan University of Medical Sciences: institution h-index 351 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 0 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 1 institution(s) in 1 country — scores zero (affiliation lists can be incomplete) |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 40940924) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Total | 38 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record names 8 authors; APA and Vancouver show the first six, BibTeX and the downloads carry all of them. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Ratajczak, A. E., Jezierska, K., Szymczak‐Tomczak, A., Zawada, A. E., Rychter, A. M., Skoracka, K., et al. (2025). Lifestyle and Breast Cancer: Prevention and Treatment Support. Cancers. https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers17172830
Vancouver
Ratajczak AE, Jezierska K, Szymczak‐Tomczak A, Zawada AE, Rychter AM, Skoracka K, et al. Lifestyle and Breast Cancer: Prevention and Treatment Support. Cancers. 2025. doi:10.3390/cancers17172830. PMID: 40940924.
BibTeX
@article{ratajczak2025-40940924,
author = {Ratajczak, Alicja Ewa and Jezierska, Karolina and Szymczak‐Tomczak, Aleksandra and Zawada, Agnieszka Ewa and Rychter, Anna Maria and Skoracka, Kinga and Dobrowolska, Agnieszka and Krela‐Kaźmierczak, Iwona},
title = {{Lifestyle and Breast Cancer: Prevention and Treatment Support}},
journal = {Cancers},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.3390/cancers17172830},
pmid = {40940924},
url = {https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers17172830}
}
Studies this one cites
Referenced by this study and also in the alzhub library, so you can read them here.