Breast Cancer
by: Laura S. Garrett, RD
Cancer is the
number 2 killer in the United States. Is there something you can do
to help prevent cancer? You bet there is. It is estimated that 1/3
of cancers are linked to diet. In addition, 3 to 4 MILLION cancer
cases could be prevented EACH YEAR simply by making dietary
changes!! Now that is wonderful news. The choices you make today can
affect your quality of living tomorrow.
It is a known fact that populations with higher rates of cancer have
different dietary habits than those with lower rates. This article
will cover several different nutrition issues related to breast
cancer. For the most part, the same dietary recommendations that
help reduce the risk of other cancers, heart disease, and
osteoporosis apply to breast cancer risk reduction.
Research has shown that women who eat their fair share of fruits and
vegetables have much lower rates of breast cancer. The minimum
recommendation is to eat 5 servings per day, aiming for 10 servings.
If you need help determining exactly what a serving is, here is a
link to NutrActive's free Serving Size Guide, Click Here.
Specific nutrients naturally found in fruits and vegetables seem to
play a role in reducing risk. Some of these nutrients include
vitamins C and E, and phytochemicals such as pycnogenols and
carotenoids. The most popular carotenoid is beta carotene. Word of
caution: If you desire to boost your intake of specific nutrients by
taking supplements, beta carotene is not one that has not shown
favorable results in studies. Taking an isolated amount of any one
carotenoid can throw the natural balance that you obtain through
your diet out of whack. It is far better to eat a handful of baby
carrots to get a boost of carotenoids the way mother nature
intended. As far as vitamins C and E, if you wish to supplement your
diet, these are both relatively safe and effective supplements. My
recommendation for vitamin C is do not take more than 500 mg per day
in supplement form. For vitamin E, do not exceed 400 IU per day.
Another nutritional element that may help reduce breast cancer risk
is fiber. Some of the fiber in your diet binds to estrogen. High
exposure to estrogen throughout one's life is one of the high risk
factors for breast cancer. Fiber intake can be increased by eating
more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
Carrying around extra baggage is a strong risk factor for developing
breast cancer, especially if it is added during your adult years.
Some health experts used to think there was no harm in packing on a
few extra pounds with each passing year. It is now believed that
even a 10 to 20 pound increase in weight over an adult's life span
can increase the risk of developing breast cancer. Why? Possibly
because increased body weight seems to result in increased
circulating estrogen levels. For weight loss services and products,
Click Here.
Effects of Fat:
Unfortunately, research on the role of total fat consumption is
inconsistent. There has not been a lot of good research due to the
fact that people who eat high-fat diets are typically overweight.
Even if future research were not able to find an association between
total fat intake and breast cancer risk, consuming a diet low in fat
makes it much easier to maintain a lean body weight.
The standard advice is to consume no more than 30% of your calories
from fat. Some health professionals say it is better to limit fat
calories to 20% of your food intake. Here is an example to show you
how to calculate how many grams of fat you can eat and be following
the above guidelines. Let's say you typically eat 1800 calories a
day. Multiply 1800 times 30% (or .30). You get 540 which is the
total fat calories you can have that day. To calculate grams of fat,
divide 540 by 9. You can have 60 grams of fat per day. The number 9
is used because there are 9 calories per every 1 gram of fat. If you
are not a math wizard or you have no clue as to how many calories
you eat each day, you might like to have your nutritional intake
analyzed. This will clue you into just how many calories you consume
each day plus how many calories are from fat, Click Here.
There is evidence that saturated fats may increase breast cancer
risk. Sources include foods from animal origin, coconut oil, palm
oil, palm kernel oil, and cocoa butter. Monounsaturated fats may
actually help decrease breast cancer risk. Sources include olive
oil, canola oil, and peanut oil.
Of particular interest is olive oil. Aside from being a
monounsaturated fat, olive oil contains important phytochemicals and
a significant amount of vitamin E. Phytochemicals and vitamin E
possess antioxidant activity meaning they help protect against
oxidation, a process by which cancer can develop. Greek women
typically consume 42% of their calories from fat versus 35% consumed
by American women. Yet, Greek women have substantially lower rates
of mortality due to breast cancer when compared to American women.
How can that be? Unlike the typical American diet, most all of the
fat in the Greek diet comes from olive oil or fish. Fish has
promising benefits, too. Studies involving the use of fish oils seem
to indicate that fish oils can help reduce the risk of developing
breast cancer.
Keep in mind that the speculations associated with olive oil are
fairly new. There is no reason to start taking olive oil by the
spoonfuls. Because it is a beneficial fat, there is absolutely no
harm to included it in your diet. Just keep in mind that it is a fat
and fats provide a significant amount of calories. The biggest key
is to keep your weight under control.
Effects of Alcohol:
Alcohol consumption: Three out of four Americans say there is too
much conflicting information when it comes to eating a healthy diet.
This can be particularly true when it comes to alcohol. Some say a
drink a day can provide health benefits, some say not so. So what
are the facts?
Strong evidence suggests that consuming more than 3 to 4 drinks per
week increases your risk of breast cancer. One drink is equal to 12
oz. beer, 5 oz. wine, 1.5 oz liquor. If you have included red wine
to your diet to help reduce heart disease risk, why not eat red
grapes or drink purple, 100% natural grape juice. The protective
phytochemicals are found in the grapes, not the alcohol. Tea and
onions are another source of these protective phytochemicals.
However, there is no denying that alcohol in moderation is
associated with a lower risk of heart disease. A large body of
evidence supports this. But, there is convincing evidence that
moderate alcohol consumption may lead to modest increases in breast
cancer risk.
In 1994 experts reviewed 38 case-controlled studies involving
alcohol and breast cancer. Their findings indicated that 1 drink per
day resulted in a 10% increase in breast cancer. More recently, a
pooled analysis of data published in 1998 showed that for every 10
grams per day of alcohol consumption, breast cancer risk increased
9%. Did it matter what type of alcoholic beverage was being
consumed? No. In addition, this pooled analysis showed that women
who drank 2 to 5 drinks per day had a 41% higher risk - OUCH!
What is my advice? If you are a woman who is at high risk for
developing cancer, I would advise that you limit your consumption to
less than one alcoholic drink per day.
Because heart disease is the leading cause of death among men and
women, I cannot advise you to eliminate alcohol altogether. There is
a greater chance you will develop heart disease than breast cancer.
A consistent finding in studies shows the lowest risk of death from
heart disease is among moderate drinkers. Weigh your risks. Discuss
them with your doctor. Then hopefully you can make an educated
decision about whether or not you should include alcohol as part of
your "healthy" diet regimen.
Effects of Meat Consumption:
Evidence that meat consumption increases breast cancer risk is
growing. Two culprits are speculated to be the saturated fat and the
type of animal protein in meat. Red meat consumption has
conclusively been linked to colon cancer. The conclusive evidence is
not as strong for breast cancer. Nonetheless, I would recommend
limiting red meat to no more than two servings per week (2-3 ounces
per serving or about the size of a deck of cards).
Third culprit: When meat (such as beef, poultry, or fish) is exposed
to high temperatures, harmful substances called heterocyclic amines
- HCAs - are formed. HCAs are known to be harmful to the pancreas,
colon, and prostate. Recently the Iowa Women's Health Study
published a report stating that women who consistently ate their red
meat cooked well done had almost FIVE times the risk of breast
cancer as those who ate their meats rare or medium. (Note: I am NOT
recommending you eat your meat cooked rare. It is well known that
undercooked meat carries its own health concerns, namely exposure to
harmful bacteria.)
In addition to limiting the amount of red meat you consume,
I recommend the following:
(1) Trim fat from meat BEFORE grilling
(2) Avoid foods that have been charred (black)
(3) Before grilling, marinate meat AND microwave the meat for 3 to 5
minutes to cut down on carcinogens (substances that cause cancer).
[This step is important because it limits the meat's exposure to
high-temperatures.]
Effects of Soy:
You have probably heard a lot of recent news about soy. You have
probably even heard that soy can help reduce your risk of cancer.
Interest in soy's role in preventing breast cancer developed after
scientists observed that Asian women have significantly lower rates
of breast cancer than women in the U.S. Asian women typically
consume a diet that is rich in soy products. Women in the U.S.
typically do not.
Experts are not ready to make strong claims concerning soy and its
ability to prevent cancer. However, there is substantial data that
links soy to the prevention of breast, prostate, lung, and colon
cancers. A recent study in England found a strong association
between a high intake of soy phytoestrogens (to be discussed in a
minute) and a lower risk of breast cancer. Even still, experts will
not say with certainty that soy does reduce the risk of developing
breast cancer. Because there is a large amount of evidence
suggesting that soy is beneficial, I recommend incorporating soy
into your diet.
So, what are phytoestrogens? Phytoestrogens are plant hormones that
are similar to human estrogens. Of importance is the fact that
phytoestrogens are weaker than human estrogens. Phytoestrogens are
believed to be among the key substances in soy that helps reduce the
risk of breast and prostate cancers. As weaker versions of estrogen,
phytoestrogens seem to play a dual role. When there is too much
estrogen, the phytoestrogens actually block estrogen's harmful
effects. When there is not enough estrogen, phytoestrogens make up
for the difference. In addition, phytoestrogens seem to act as
antioxidants, thus further protecting cells.
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