In the National Breast Cancer Awareness Month a lot of measures are taken in order to make people understand how to prevent the disease and what the risks actually are. Various speaking engagements have also been scheduled this month by hospitals and organizations.

A study published in the Nov. 2008 issue of British Journal of Nutrition identified a dietary pattern that was linked to increased risk of breast cancer. The researchers analyzed data on dietary factors for 15,351 females participating in the European Prospective
Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition or EPIC-Potsdam Study. Schulz M and colleagues from German Institute of Human Nutrition in Germany led the study and found that total dietary fat rather than specific dietary fatty acids were associated with breast cancer risk.

Breast cancer is expected to be diagnosed in 185,000 women and the disease kills 45,000 each year in the United States. Many dietary factors and lifestyle parameters have been associated with breast cancer risk. According to statistics from the American Cancer Society, an estimated 1-in-8 women will develop breast cancer at some point during their lifetime. Although it is extremely rare, men can also develop breast cancer, especially if there is a history of the disease in their family.

The first on the list of sponsors is the American cancer Society or ACS, the richest not-for-profit organization in the world as some critics call.   Sponsors also include American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists representing 51,000 physicians, American College of Radiology representing 32,000 radiologists, American Society of Clinical Oncology, representing 25,000 cancer physicians, and AstraZeneca Healthcare Foundation organized by the drug maker of Arimidex and Tamoxifen. Some other major medical associations and government agencies are also listed as sponsors for the national Breast Cancer Awareness Month.