Breast Cancer
 
Risk From Antibiotic Use  

Does antibiotic use increase breast cancer risk?

Although there is no definitive answer yet, many researchers believe there could be a link. Here's why:

Some antibiotics interfere with the body's ability to absorb cancer-protective substances from the food we eat. Tetracycline and some other antibiotics increase the body's production of substances called prostaglandins. These substances increase the body's immune response, which leads to the production of certain molecules that are believed to increase cancer risk.

Even if there is no proven link between antibiotic use and cancer, everyone needs to be more conscientious when it comes to taking these valuable drugs. The overuse of antibiotics has been widely reported in the press recently. Patients' expectations for medicine and physicians' willingness to prescribe antibiotics have contributed to the problem. One-third of the 150 million outpatient prescriptions for antibiotics written each year in the U.S. are unnecessary, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

One of the results of overuse of antibiotics has been a biological counterattack -- the emergence of strains of bacteria that can grow despite treatment with drugs previously effective against the bacteria. We owe it to our own bodies and everyone else's to use antibiotics responsibly.


Questions Related to Risk From Antibiotic Use
What is a risk factor?
My mother had breast cancer. Does this mean I am at greater risk?
I was diagnosed with breast cancer 7 years ago, but I am now in remission. Am I at a higher risk of getting the disease again in the future?
Can benign cysts become cancerous?
I have no family history of breast cancer. Why should I worry about getting breast cancer?
Is there anything I can do to lower my risk of getting breast cancer?
Does Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) increase my breast cancer risk?
What is the Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Tool?
What women are at risk for breast cancer?
What risk factors are most important in determining my likelihood of getting breast cancer?
If I didn’t nurse my children, am I at greater risk of breast cancer?
Does exposure to toxins and chemicals in the environment increase one’s risk of breast cancer ?
Do breast implants increase your risk of breast cancer?
Does radiation exposure increase your breast cancer risk?
What is the connection between estrogen and breast cancer?
I have had fertility treatments. Does this increase my risk?
If I take birth control pills, am I at greater risk of getting breast cancer?
What are phytoestrogens? Do they cause breast cancer?
What causes breast cancer?
What are the risk factors that put a woman at a higher risk for breast cancer?
What risk factors can you control ?
What risk factors can you not control?
I started menstruating at a very young age. Am I at greater risk of getting breast cancer?
If I am overweight, am I at a greater risk of developing breast cancer?
I've heard that being overweight before menopause helps lower your risk of breast cancer. Is this true?
Is there a link between alcohol and breast cancer?
Why does alcohol consumption increase the risk of breast cancer ?
Can exercise reduce breast cancer risk?
Does a woman's height influence her breast cancer risk?
I have never had children. Am I at a greater risk for breast cancer?
I started menstruating when I was very young. Does this put me at higher risk?
Why does starting menstruation at an earlier age slightly increase your risk of breast cancer?
I began menopause later than average. Does this put me at increased risk?
Can I inherit breast cancer from my mother or other women in my family?
I often experience breast pain. What is this pain? Does the breast pain mean that I am more likely to get breast cancer?
I have very lumpy breasts. Does this mean I will develop breast cancer or am at high risk?
I’ve been told that I have high breast density. What is high breast density? Does this increase my risk of breast cancer?
Are women who have fibrocystic changes in their breasts at higher risk for breast cancer?
Is there a link between smoking and breast cancer?
Does stress increase your risk of breast cancer?
Does abortion increase a woman's risk of breast cancer?

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