Breast Cancer Awareness Month: Nutrition for Breast Health

[Guest guest]

Good Morning!

 

Breast Cancer Awareness Month: Nutrition for Breast Health

 

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. Throughout the month, I

will be sharing tips and stories on being more conscious about breast

health.

 

Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in women. It is the

number one cause of cancer death in Hispanic women and the second

most common cause of cancer death in white, black, Asian/Pacific

Islander, and American Indian/Alaska Native women.

 

One out of eight American women who live to be 85 years of age will

develop breast cancer, a risk that was one out of 14 in 1960.

 

Food used as a preventative to dis-ease and as an essential part of medicine has

been established for over 4000 years by physicians of natural medicine. Food is

a major determinant of health that is directly under our control. We cannot

always control pollution, hereditary factors, noise, environment, and the social

and emotional behaviors of others, but we can certainly choose what and what not

to eat.

 

Food is so important to human existence, and because it is utilized many times

each day, it has a major affect on the body. However, most people do not realize

the power of foods.

 

Water, carbohydrates, proteins, and fats are the basic building blocks of a good

diet. By choosing the healthiest forms of each of these nutrients, and eating

them in the proper balance, you enable your body to function at its optimal

level.

 

 

Eating The Proper Fats

 

Reducing fat in the diet is an important component of breast health.

Foods with a high proportion of calories from fat should be

eliminated or limited in the diet; these include red meat high in fat

content, poultry with skin, dark poultry meat, fried foods, butter,

margarine, cheese, milk (except skim milk), junk foods, and most

processed foods. Vegetable oils should also be restricted.

 

Good fats can help reduce the risk of cancer. The good fats include

Borage oil, evening primerose oil, (which both contain GLA - gamma

linolenic acid) flax oil, (which is rich in ALA - alpha linolenic

acid) shark oil and olive oil. Omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil, which

have been associated with a reduced risk of breast cancer is ideal. A

new study finds that derivatives from two omega-3 fatty acids,

docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)

significantly inhibited cell adhesion (15 to 30%) and migration

(about 50%) and induced apoptosis (about 40%) in breast cancer cells.[6].

 

 

Controlling Estrogen Levels

 

Environmental estrogens are found in pesticides, plastics, and PCB's

(chemicalpollutants in the water, air, and soil). These forms of estrogen are

thought to have a major influence on the excessive amounts of estrogen that are

being found in both men and women. Poor diet, with too much refined carbohydrate

and saturated animal fat and too little fiber is also responsible.

 

Eat more high fiber foods (except wheat bran) to prevent excess re-uptake of

estrogen by the bowel. Organic food reduces your exposure to pesticides,

antibiotics, and growth hormones. Too much fat tissue increases your body's

ability to convert male hormones into estrogen. Stress also plays a major role

in your liver and digestive system removing excess estrogen.

 

Symptoms: puffiness and bloating, water retention, rapid weight gain, breast

tenderness, heavy bleeding, mood swings (anxiety, depression, weepiness), sleep

problems, migraines, flushed face, low libido, foggy thinking, and high levels

of copper in the system. Later, endometriosis, fibroids, gall bladder problems,

poor blood sugar control, and hypothyroid conditions may arise.

 

Symptoms in Men: hair loss, headaches, bloating, weight gain, prostate

enlargement, irritability, and breast enlargement.

 

Solutions: low fat high fiber diet, live yogurt (encourage excretion of

estrogen), eating cabbage-family veggies (cabbage, broccoli, Brussel sprouts,

and califlowier) increases the rate at which the liver converts estrogen into a

water-soluble form that can be excreted, increase protein intake to improve

estrogen metabolism in the liver, vitamin B6 reduces the effects of excess

estrogen, more exercise, less stress, and lose weight. These cruciferous

vegetables contain anti-cancer and detoxing abilities as well as

Indole-3-carbinol, which may have anti-carcinogenic effects.

 

 

Fight Free Radicals

 

Free radicals are atoms or groups of atoms that have at least one unpaired

electron, which makes them highly reactive. Free radicals promote beneficial

oxidation that produces energy and kills bacterial invaders. However, in excess,

they produce harmful oxidation or " oxidative stress " that can damage cell

membranes and cell contents. [2]. These free radicals cause inflammation.

 

In human beings, free radicals are the natural by-products of many processes

within and among cells. Free radicals are created by exposure to various

environmental factors, cigarette and tobacco smoke, air pollution, alcohol,

drugs, radiation from televisions and computers, chemicals and a busy, stressful

life.

 

These factors stimulate molecules in the body called transcription factors. The

transcription factor is any protein required to initiate or regulate

transcription; including both gene regulatory proteins as well as the general

transcription factors. These chemical messengers signal DNA to start producing

protein, which gives direction to the cells in our body. Transcription factors

in the body are harmless, until they are activated by free radicals. Free

radicals cause the transcription molecules to migrate to the center of the

nucleus. Several transcription factors become pro-inflammatory due to free

radicals and therefore accelerate the aging process.

 

NF-kB transcription factor complex is one of the cellular sensors, which

responds to oxidative stress and regulates gene expression. NF-kB can increase

the activity of genes responsible for inflammation. DNA binding activities of

two other transcription factors, AP-1 and p-1 are seen as inflammatory agents

when activated by free radicals. [3].

 

Other inflammatory markers such as C-reactive protein, homocysteine, and

fibrinogen show that these blood indicators of inflammation are strong

predictive factors for determining who will suffer a heart attack. [4,5].

Seemingly unrelated diseases have a common link. People who have multiple

degenerative disorders often exhibit excess levels of inflammatory markers in

their blood. A growing consensus among scientists is that common disorders such

as atherosclerosis, colon cancer, and Alzheimer's disease are all caused in part

by a chronic inflammatory syndrome.

 

 

Antioxidants Are Necessary

 

More and more evidence is accumulating that indicates antioxidants improve

long-term health by deferring or mitigating cardiovascular and cerebrovascular

diseases. Exercise-related research indicates that antioxidants such as vitamin

E and selenium limit exercise-induced muscle damage; this, in turn, is believed

to improve exercise recovery and possibly improve muscle growth potential. Of

course, as vitamins C and E and selenium are among the most effective

antioxidants, they and others are part of most multivitamin/mineral packs.

However, here are some additional antioxidants you may want to consider taking,

with the baseline supplementary daily intake.

 

Research suggests that combining antioxidants is more effective than consuming

high doses of just one or two antioxidants. Fresh fruits and vegetables are rich

in a wide variety of antioxidants; the essential antioxidants may be better

preserved in these foods. Herbal supplements like milk thistle, rosemary, ginkgo

biloba, bilberry, butcher's broom and horse chestnut have high levels of potent

antioxidants, although their effects on exercise have not yet been studied in

humans.

 

 

Black and Green Tea

 

For years, studies have indicated that the antioxidants in green tea offer

protection against diseases, including cancer, and even fight dental cavities.

One of the most beneficial of these antioxidants is called epigallocatechin

gallate (EGCG). According to the University of California Wellness Letter, Mar

2002, regular black tea is turning out to be just as healthful as green tea. The

evidence for tea's health effects comes mainly from lab studies, though some

human studies point to possible benefits in preventing heart disease and cancer.

EGCG, inhibited an enzyme that cancer cells need in order to grow. The cancer

cells that couldn't grow big enough to divide self-destructed. It would take

about 4-10 cups of green tea a day to get the blood levels of EGCG that

inhibited cancer in the study. Black tea also contains EGCG, but at lower

concentrations.

 

 

Sugar and Inflammation

 

One of the reasons inflammation occurs is from a rapid rise in blood sugar,

which causes biochemical changes in the cell. Staying away from sugar and

high-glycemic (simple) carbohydrates, which the body rapidly converts to sugar,

is one of the best ways to decrease inflammation. C-reactive protein (CRP) is a

key factor of inflammation. In a major study, published in the New England

Journal of Medicine, people with elevated CRP levels were four and one-half

times more likely to have a heart attack. Not only is elevated CRP more accurate

than cholesterol in predicting heart attack risk, but high CRP levels have

turned up in people with diabetes and pre-diabetes and in people who are

overweight. [7, 8, 9, 10]

 

When blood sugar goes up rapidly, sugar can attach itself to collagen in a

process called " glycosylation, " or the Browning Reaction, increasing inflexible

and inflammation. CRP is not found in foods. However, its levels in the body are

strongly influenced by diet.

 

A recent study by Simin Liu, M.D., Ph.D., of the Harvard Medical School found

that women who ate large amounts of high-glycemic (or diabetes promoting)

carbohydrates, including potatoes, breakfast cereals, white bread, muffins, and

white rice, had very high CRP levels. Women who ate a lot of these foods and

were also overweight had the highest and most dangerous CRP levels. [11].

 

The body makes CRP from interleukin-6 (IL-6), a powerful inflammatory chemical.

IL-6 is a key cell communication molecule, and it tells the body's immune system

to go into asperity, releasing CRP and many other inflammation-causing

substances. Being overwieght increases inflammation because adipose cells,

particularly those around the midsection, make large amounts of IL-6 and CRP. As

blood sugar levels increase, so do IL-6 and CRP. Both overweight and high blood

sugar levels increase the risk of heart disease, very likely because of the

undercurrent of inflammation. [10].

 

The best way to deal with cravings is to very carefully control blood sugar and

insulin by staying away from the simple carbohydrates and eating more protein.

In a few days, blood sugar will stabilize and cravings will go away. Good

(complexed) carbohydrates, which are low on the glycemic index include: apples,

apsaragus, beans, broccoli, blackberries, blueberries, cabbage, cantaloupe,

citrus fruits, green beans, honeydew melon, kiwi, leafy greens, peaches, pears,

plums, raspberries, spinach, strawberries.

 

Bad (simple) carbohydrates, which are high on the glycemic index include:

bananas, breads, carrots, cereals processed with added sugar, corn, French

fries, French toast, fruit juices, mangos, pancakes, papaya, pasta, peas,

popcorn, white potatoes, white rice, sugar, waffles.

 

Dietary fats also influence inflammation. Most omega-6 fats, found in margarine

and corn and safflower oils, are the basic building blocks of arachidonic acid

and prostaglandin E2, two of several key inflammation-causing substances in the

body. In contrast, omega-3 fats, found in fish, fish oils, and vegetables, have

an inflammation-suppressing effect. [11]

 

 

Balance the Body's pH

 

It is important to keep the body as pH balanced as possible. Most people's diets

tend to be more on the acidic side. Therefore, eating more alkaline forming

foods (plant based) helps to maintain proper pH balance. Eat foods such as non

citrus fruits and plenty of vegetables, some dairy such as cottage cheese and

yogurt, organic skinless chicken, turkey or grass feed, lean beef and fish. Buy

dried beans such as garbanzo beans and black beans, consider whole grains such

as brown rice and oats, as well as a handful of healthy fats in nuts and seeds.

 

 

Add Healthy Seasonings

 

There are very beneficial herbs containing antioxidant, antimicrobal, and

antifungal properties. Consider cinammon, ginger, curry powder, turmeric,

onions, garlic and stevia.

 

 

Andrew Pacholyk, MS. L.Ac

http://www.peacefulmind.com/cancer.htm

Therapies for healing

mind, body, spirit

 

 

References:

 

1. U.S. Cancer Statistics Working Group. United States Cancer

Statistics: 2007 Incidence and Mortality. Atlanta (GA): Department of

Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention, and National Cancer Institute; 2007.

 

2 Brod, S.A. Unregulated inflammation shortens human functional

longevity. Inflamm. Res. 2000 Nov; 49(11): 561-70.

 

3. Lindahl et al. 2000 Oct 19; 343(16): 1139 47. Packard et al. 2000;

287:3223-3237 Rader 2000 3261-3263, The New England Journal of

Medicine 2000

 

4. Licinio, J., Wong, M.L. The role of inflammatory mediators in the

biology of major depression: central nervous system cytokines

modulate the biological substrate of depressive symptoms, regulate

stress-responsive systems, and contribute to neurotoxicity and

neuroprotection. Mol. Psychiatry 1999 Jul; 4(4): 317 27.

 

5. Sitzer, M., Markus, H.S., Mendall, M.A., Liehr, R., Knorr,

U., Steinmetz, H. C-reactive protein and carotid intimal medial

thickness in a community population. J. Cardiovasc. Risk 2002 Apr; 9

(2): 97-103.

 

6. Breast Health and Omega 3 Fatty Acids, June 7 issue of Breast

Cancer Research.

 

7. Ridker PM, Hennekens CH, Buring JE, et al. C-reactive protein and

other markers of inflammation in the prediction of cardiovascular

disease in women. New England Journal of Medicine, 2000;342:836-843.

 

8. Pradhan AD, Manson JE, Rifai N, et al. C-reactive protein,

interleukin-6, and risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus. JAMA,

2001;286:327-334.

 

9. Festa A, D'Agostino R, Howard G, et al. Chronic subclinical

inflammation as part of the insulin resistance syndrome. The insulin

resistance atherosclerosis study (IRAS). Circulation, 2000;102:42-47.

 

 

10. Manson JE, Buring HE, et al. Relation between a diet with a high

glycemic load and plasma concentrations of high-sensitivity C-

reactive protein in middle-aged women. American Journal of Clinical

Nutrition, 2002;75:492-498.

 

11. Simin Liu, M.D., Ph.D., found that women who ate large amounts of

high-glycemic (or diabetes promoting) carbohydrates, including

potatoes, breakfast cereals, white bread, muffins, and white rice,

had very high CRP levels. Harvard Medical Journal 2000 Oct 19; 343

(16): 1139 47.

 

12. Lau CS, Morley KD, Belch JJF. Effects of fish oil supplementation

on non-steroidal anti inflammatory drug requirement in patients with

mild rheumatoid arthritis - a double-blind placebo controlled study.

British Journal of Rheumatology, 1993;32:982-989.