Protecting against Breast Cancer

Every woman is concerned about breast cancer risk for herself and her loved ones.  Breast cancer is the most common cancer to affect women.  In 2003, there were about 200,000 new cases of breast cancer in the United States.  Risk increases as one gets older, with a one in eight lifetime risk if one lives until 90.  With aggressive preventative testing, which continues to advance beyond mammograms, sonograms, and MRI's, 80% of women diagnosed now are found at a relatively early stage, with a good prognosis.  In Manhattan, where the patients tend to be more involved in their healthcare, and the mammograms and sonograms tend to be high-quality, the incidence of early diagnosis and good prognosis is even higher.

So what can we do to identify and reduce our risk for breast cancer?  Obviously, the greater the risk, the more aggressive we should be in terms of utilizing, screening, diet, supplementation, and any other modality to reduce tour odds.

• Growing older is the biggest risk factor for developing breast cancer.  Wear and tear increases the likelihood that a genetic error will be made, that will not be recognized by the body, which will cause breast cell to reproduce themselves at too rapid a rate.
• From birth to age 39, 1 woman in 231 will get breast cancer (<0.5% risk).
• From ages 40–59, the chance is 1 in 25 (4% risk).
• From ages 60–79, the chance is 1 in 15 (nearly 7%).
• Personal history of breast cancer is a risk factor for breast cancer recurrence or the formation of a new breast cancer. In other words, if you have already been diagnosed with breast cancer, your risk of developing it again is higher than if you had never had the disease. The risk is about 1% per year, so that over a 10-year period, your risk would be about 10%. However, there is medication, tamoxifen, available to help you reduce that risk .
• Prolonged, uninterrupted exposure to estrogen can increase breast cancer risk. Breast cell growth—both normal and abnormal—is stimulated by the presence of estrogen. This includes estrogen that your own body produces normally, as well as estrogen you might take as a pill (for example, menopause hormone therapy). The following risk factors for breast cancer are related to prolonged exposure to estrogen without any breaks or interruptions starting menstruation at a young age (more years of the body producing estrogen),
• starting menstruation at a young age.
• going through menopause at a late age (more years of the body producing estrogen).
• taking hormone therapy for over five years with estrogen alone, or with estrogen and progesterone (risk increases by 5–40%, but most breast cancers that are diagnosed in women on hormone therapy tend to be very early stage and very treatable).
• never having had a full-term pregnancy.
• having a first full-term pregnancy after age 30 (more years of the body producing estrogen without the break from regular cycles).
• Being overweight, which increases the production of estrogen outside the ovaries and adds to the overall level of estrogen in the body.
• Exposure to estrogens in the environment (such as estrogen fed to fatten up beef cattle, or the breakdown products of the pesticide DDT), which mimic the effects of estrogen in the body
• Having too much alcohol without enough folic acid intake in the diet.
• Family history of breast cancer can have a significant impact on your risk, but don't automatically assume that any case of breast cancer in your family means you are a high-risk candidate. For example, if your grandmother was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 75, this does NOT mean your risk of the disease is increased. Your grandmother was most likely just one of the 1 in 15 women in that age bracket who gets breast cancer from the wear and tear of aging.

 

Selenium-- is a micronutrient mineral that seems to be important in allowing glutathione reductase, the most potent antioxidant in the body, to function efficiently.  It is also important in the prevention of prostate cancer.  Many parts of the country grow vegetables in soil depleted of this nutrient, hence it is needed as a supplement.  Approximately 100mcg/day.

Multigenics multivitamin  4/day  100%

Antioxidants-- Curcumin is a powerful anti-inflammatory compound derived from the spice turmeric. It's important to understand that inflammation stimulates cancer growth and metastasis; so, safe anti-inflammatory agents are potentially valuable. Test tube studies have found a combination of curcumin and genistein (derived from soy) to completely arrest breast cancer cell growth. There is a new combination herbal supplement that contains curcumin, green tea, D-Limonene and lycopene. It is called CELAPRO. The combination appears to be much more powerful than the individual components. Not only is curcumin anti-inflammatory, but also it is an antioxidant, inhibits enzymes that allow tumors to spread, inhibits angiogenesis (formation of new blood vessels necessary for tumor growth and spread), protects against xenoestrogens (environmental chemicals with estrogenic activity), induces apoptosis and more. Green tea is an antioxidant, inhibits angiogenesis, and stimulates estrogen elimination from the body. Green tea inhibits cancer in a multitude of other ways. Each capsule of Cell Protect contains the equivalent of five cups of green tea.  D-Limonene is found in essential oils of different fruits and vegetables. It is being studied by the National Cancer Institute as a cancer treatment in humans. D-Limonene increases the activity of carcinogen detoxifying enzymes. It induces apoptosis and causes redifferentiation of tumor cells to more benign forms. In animal studies D-Limonene has been found to not only prevent breast cancer but to cause complete regression of more than 80% of existing breast tumors. Lycopene is an antioxidant that protects cell membranes and DNA against free radical damage. Additionally, lycopene improves intercellular communication and immune function. The lycopene in celapro is an oil form and is more bioavailable than powdered supplements.

CELAPRO one tab/day         100%

Folic acid and B complex vitamins are found in Multigenics and in Vesselcare.  The National Cancer Institute published a study in 2003 that suggested that the B complex vitamins prevented breast cancer, and that folic acid was particularly helpful for protecting against the breast cancer inducing effects of a drink of alcohol per day. Indole-3-carbinol in broccoli  protects against breast cancer as well as prostate cancer.  For those who do not eat many cruciferous vegetables, or for those who want to be aggressive in their efforts, indole-3-carbinol I3C is available.

META 1C3  two tabs/day      60%

Vitamin D—is the subject of a great deal of research in both breast and prostate cancer.  Many people are Vitamin D deficient, especially during the winter months.  Since we encourage Vit D already for osteoporosis prevention, there are now two good reasons to take this supplement.

CAL-APATITE PLUS   100% (WITH IPRAFLAVONE AND Vit D) 4 tabs/day  (900 calcium and 300 vit D)

Vit E, but not alpha tocopherol  has been found to significantly reduce the risk of premenopausal breast cancer, especially in those who are genetically predisposed. The Nurses Health Study studied 83,234 women at baseline and sought to assess incidences of breast cancer during a 14 year follow-up. This study showed that premenopausal women with a family history who consumed the highest quantity of vitamin E enjoyed a 43% reduction in breast cancer incidence compared to only a 16% risk reduction for women without a family history of breast cancer. Based on this study, vitamin E appears to protect against genetic- predisposed breast cancer better than environmental-induced breast cancer. (Note that nutrients like indole-3-carbinol may specifically protect against environmental breast carcinogens.)

E-COMPLEX 1:1       2 caps/day   80%

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