Recently, two dear friends of mine were diagnosed with breast cancer and now they are dealing with the consequences. It’s hard to imagine the thoughts and fears going through their minds and how their lives and those of their family members have been turned upside down. How can we fight back against this scourge and its debilitating consequences? Knowledge is power and nowhere is this more important than in dealing with cancer, and protecting ourselves and our loved ones from it and from any recurrence as much as possible.
It seems to me that we must do everything in our power to maximize our body’s immune system, keep our weight in the normal range, exercise regularly, get fresh air and minimize our exposure to toxic chemicals, alcohol, smoking and bad food. So how can we do this? I will consider protection in three categories; a) after puberty, b) between birth and puberty, and c) before birth.
After Puberty
Both men and women can get breast cancer so men should pay attention also, even though their risk is 100 times less. There are also women in their lives who are special. Obviously, after puberty we cannot control the events that occurred beforehand and so we have to act now. Here’s what we should do to protect ourselves and our adolescent children.
1) Keep Your Weight in the Normal Range. Aim for a BMI ( Body Mass Index ) between 18.5 and 24.9 (see reference 1). In 2007, the World Cancer Research Fund and the American Institute for Cancer Research reported (2) that obesity is a convincing risk factor for cancer at several sites in the body, including the breast in post-menopausal women. It is not, however, a risk factor for breast cancer in pre-menopausal women although this may change as more women are becoming obese earlier and in childhood, and will thus be exposed for longer periods to estrogens and inflammatory agents released by fatty tissue.
2) Eat a Predominantly Plant-Based Diet with as much fresh, locally grown fruits and vegetables as possible. Choose organic or pesticide-free produce such as is available in farmers’ markets. Do not compromise; otherwise you will be exposing yourself and your family to chemicals whose effects have not been properly tested. The benefits of eating fruits and vegetables is that they provide phyto (plant) chemicals many of which are anti-oxidants and counter the deleterious effects of free-radicals which are the by-products of our oxidative metabolism. Vegetables should take priority over fruits. It is tempting to each too much fruit because of the sweetness but an excessive intake of sugars should be avoided as they can weaken our immune response and compromise our body’s defenses.
Include mushrooms in your diet. Regular consumption of mushrooms is associated with a decreased risk of breast cancer in both pre- and post-menopausal women (3,4,5). Certain polysaccharides in mushrooms are thought to exert anti-cancer and anti-viral effects by stimulating our immune system (6). Studies with breast cancer cell lines in culture have suggested that mushrooms can also exert anticancer effects via a different mechanism. When an extract of shiitake mushrooms was applied, it was found to inhibit both the growth of the cancer cells and hasten their demise (7). The mechanism of this action is currently being investigated.
3) Exercise. Regular exercise has been shown to reduce the risk of developing breast cancer and prostate cancer, both directly by lowering the circulating levels of estrogen and testosterone and the tissues’ responses to them, and indirectly by promoting weight loss (8).
With respect to breast cancer, several studies involving pre-and post-menopausal women have suggested that regular exercise may reduce the incidence of the disease by 20-40%. (8, p.233). For those who are diagnosed with early stage breast cancer, a recently reported study of 1,500 women found that if they walked at least 30 minutes each day for 6 days each week and ate at least five servings of fruits and vegetables every day, their risk of mortality was reduced by half and this reduction was seen in both obese and non-obese women (8, p.231).
4) Avoid Meat and Dairy Products Containing Added Hormones and Antibiotics. If you eat meat and dairy products, avoid those containing hormones and antibiotics. These are added for convenience and profit and put our health and wellbeing at risk. Choose organic or naturally-raised produce, free from added hormones and antibiotics.
5) Avoid Alcohol Consumption. Based on extensive case-controlled and prospective studies, the World Cancer Research Fund has reported that consumption of alcoholic drinks is a convincing cause of breast cancer in both pre- and postmenopausal women. There is no threshold in the amount of alcohol consumed but the risk of getting breast cancer increases with increasing alcohol consumption (2). There is a dose-response relationship.
6) Don’t Smoke or Breathe in Second-Hand Cigarette Smoke. Smoking increases the risk of breast cancer in both pre- and post-menopausal women (9). Women who start smoking at an early age have a 20% greater chance of getting breast cancer than women who never smoke. Also, exposure to second-hand smoke has been shown to increase the risk of breast cancer in premenopausal women. Women who have slow-acting forms of the NAT2 gene which codes for the breakdown of aromatic amines such as those occurring in cigarette smoke (10) are at greater risk of getting breast cancer (9). Breast cancer risk has been shown to be 27-50% higher in long-term smokers who have the slow-acting form of the NAT2 gene.
7) Have Your First Child Early. The younger a woman is when she has her first child; the lower will be her risk of developing breast cancer. If she does not have her first child until after age 35, her risk of developing breast cancer is approximately twice that of a woman who has her first child before age 20 (11) .
8) Breastfeed. There is convincing evidence that breastfeeding protects the mother against both pre- and postmenopausal breast cancer (2). The longer the breastfeeding continues, the greater is the protection conferred.
9) Minimize Exposure to Environmental Toxins. We are being increasingly exposed to chemicals in our environment; in the foods we eat, the fluids we drink, the personal care and household products we use, the materials we touch and the air we breathe (12). It is estimated that there are now over 80,000 chemicals used in commerce and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has only required testing of approximately 200. We have virtually no knowledge of the long-term effects of exposure to these chemicals, either separately or in the combinations employed. Just as with alcohol and with the aromatic amines in cigarette smoke, people may differ considerably in their ability to break down and dispose of these chemicals and so in some individuals they may remain in their tissues for longer and cause chronic damage.
The first step is to become aware of the products we use by reading labels and checking for safety by consulting with non-profit organizations such as the Environmental Working Group (13). Pay special attention to any products applied to the breast and the under arm region. We have to unprocess our lives and purify our environment as much as possible, for the benefit of our health and wellbeing and for our loved ones.
10) Be Aware of Family History. If there is a family history of breast cancer, it is important to be aware of it. Be vigilant in performing regular breast examinations (14) and consulting your doctor. Avoid all of the known risk factors discussed here and pursue those lifestyle factors known to promote breast and bodily health.
From Birth to Puberty
1) Babies Should Be Breastfed. The World Cancer Research Fund and the American Institute for Cancer Research have recommended that babies should be breastfed (2). Breastfeeding provides the perfect food formulated for the baby and confers significant health benefits, including enhanced immunity and resistance to infections and allergies (10). It also reduces the likelihood of obesity later (15), which in turn will reduce the risk of certain cancers, including breast cancer.
2) Baby Food. Ideally, baby food like other foods should be prepared at home from fresh and preferably organic ingredients. If the baby’s food is purchased ready made then it should be minimally processed and free from environmental chemicals and preservatives.
3) Minimize Exposure to Environmental Chemicals. As young children begin to explore their surroundings they come into contact with carpets, furnishings and draperies that may have been chemically treated. When they touch these and then place their hands in their mouths, the chemicals are ingested.
4) Avoid Hormone-Treated Foods. There is a clear difference in the development of children raised on a predominantly vegan or vegetarian diet compared to those raised on meat. Girls raised as vegans will not have their first period until they are 17 and will have an earlier menopause, thus their exposure to estrogens and their breast cancer risk will be greatly reduced. Girls raised on meat in their diet can enter puberty at 12 or earlier and the earlier age at which adult height and features are obtained is a risk factor for cancer of the breast, colon, ovary and pancreas (2). It has been shown that for every year that a girl’s first period (menarche) is delayed, there is a 7-9% reduction in the risk of getting premenopausal breast cancer (2).
5) Keep Your Children’s Weight within the Normal BMI Range. Encourage exercise and avoid processed, high carbohydrate foods low in nutrients such as white bread, white rice, cake, sugary drinks and sweets. It is essential to protect our children from becoming overweight and obese. Prolonged sedentary behavior such as watching television or playing video games should be actively discouraged. It is a tragedy that so many children are overweight today and at future risk of serious chronic diseases, including cancer.
Before Birth
1) Protect from the Earliest Stage. Protection against cancer should begin in the womb. It is clear that most cancers are triggered by environmental causes and the developing fetus is especially at risk from environmental chemicals that can cross the placenta. There is now clear evidence that babies are being born already polluted (13). In many cases, the pollutants are present in higher concentrations in the baby than in the mother. The mother should therefore follow the recommendations above for optimal health and minimize her exposure to environmental toxins.
(i) In the womb, toxins may be secreted by the fetus but then they are reabsorbed again when the fetus swallows the amniotic fluid. Because of this they can be concentrated in the fetus.
(ii) Fetuses, infants and young children do not have fully developed detoxification systems and so are more at risk from the chemical effects of toxins.
(iii) Their cells are rapidly growing and dividing as tissues and organs develop and these processes are vulnerable to the action of toxic chemicals.
In order to maximize our health, we need to unprocess our lives as much as possible and return to a much more natural way of living; engaging in regular low intensity exercise, spending more time out of doors, eating fresh, locally grown and preferably organic produce, using personal care and household products that are as natural as possible and avoiding cigarette smoking and alcoholic drinks.
© Christopher J. Jones, M.Sc., Ph.D
References
1) Jones, C. J. (2009) Obesity and How It Can Affect Our Health. https://www.healthyaddress.com/?p=143
2) World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research (2007) Food, Nutrition, Physical Activity and the Prevention of Cancer: A Global Perspective. AICR, Washington DC, pp. 516. http://www.dietandcancerreport.org
3) Zhang, M. et al. (2009) Dietary Intakes of Mushrooms and Green Tea combine to reduce the Risk of Breast Cancer in Chinese Women. Int. J. Cancer 124: 1404-1408.
4) Shin, A. et al. (2010) Dietary Mushroom Intake and the Risk of Breast Cancer based on Hormone Receptor Status. Nutr. Cancer 62(4): 476-483.
5) Hong, S.A. et al. (2008) A Case-Control Study on the Dietary Intake of Mushrooms and Breast Cancer Risk among Korean Women. Int. J Cancer 122(4): 919-923.
6) Borchers, A.T. et al. (2008) The Immunobiology of Mushrooms. Exp. Biol. Med. 233(3): 259-276.
7) Fang, N. et al. (2006) Inhibition of Growth and Induction of Apoptosis in Human Cancer Cell Lines by an Ethyl Acetate Fraction from Shiitake Mushrooms. J. Altern. Complement. Med. 12(2): 125-132.
8) Ornish, D. (2007) The Spectrum: A Scientifically Proven Program to Feel Better, Live Longer, Lose Weight, and Gain Health. Ballantine Books, New York, 386 pp.
9) Fiore, K. (2009) Smoking Causes Breast Cancer, Analysis Shows.
http://www.breastcancer.org/risk/new_research/20090424b.jsp
10) NAT2 (2010) http://www.snpedia.com/index.php/NAT2
11) National Cancer Institute. Pregnancy and Breast Cancer Risk.
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/pregnancy
12) Jones, C. J. (2009) So Just How Toxic Are We? https://www.healthyaddress.com/so-just-how-toxic-are-we.html
13) Environmental Working Group http://www.ewg.org
14) Breast Self-Examination (2009)
http://healthline-update.blogspot.com/2009/03/how-to-perform-breast-self-examination.html
15) WebMD. What are the Benefits of Breastfeeding for Baby? http://www.webmd.com/parenting/baby/breastfeeding-9/nursing-basics
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