Jessica Migala has been a health, fitness, and nutrition writer for almost 15 years. She has contributed to more than 40 print and digital publications, including EatingWell, Real Simple, and Runner’s World. Jessica had her first editing role at Prevention magazine and, later, Michigan Avenue magazine in Chicago. She currently lives in the suburbs with her husband, two young sons, and beagle. When not reporting, Jessica likes runs, bike rides, and glasses of wine (in moderation, of course).
in their lifetime. But that risk may be nearly 11 times higher if you have a family history of the disease. According to the CDC, 50 out of 100 women with a BRCA gene mutation will develop breast cancer before 70. And 30 out of 100 women with a BRCA gene mutation will develop ovarian cancer before 70. In contrast, among the general population, 7 out of 100 and 1 out of 100 women will develop breast or ovarian cancer, respectively.Start getting screening mammograms 10 years earlier than the youngest age at which a first-degree relative was diagnosed.
Maintain a strength-training regimen, which bolsters bones and helps you avoid falling. All women 65 or older should have a bone density screening. But you may want to go earlier, at menopause, if you’re in a high-risk family.—which includes Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis—colon polyps, and colorectal cancer may run in families. For instance, the risk of colorectal cancer increases by up to 20-fold for individuals with a family history. headtopics.com
For example, if your baseline A1C test results are normal but you have risk factors, the CDC recommends getting an A1C test every three years. Or if your results indicate prediabetes, a healthcare provider may recommend an A1C test every one to two years.
Your family history may contribute to your risk of stroke or heart attack. In particular, that risk increases if a relative dies prematurely, before age 65 for women and before 55 for men, of