It seems that women with a history of breast cancer can reduce their risk of getting the disease by changing their lifestyle.

An analysis of data from eight large trials in Europe, Australia and the U-S has found that by quitting smoking, maintaining a healthy weight and avoiding hormone replacement therapy, women with an elevated genetic risk were able to bring their risk back down to average.

The average woman’s lifetime risk of developing breast cancer by the age of 80 is 11 per cent.

You can read about the study in the journal JAMA Oncology.