Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom (78 page)

The Shanghai Breast Cancer Survival Study, following more than five thousand female breast cancer survivors in China, showed that the more dietary soy the women ate—either soy protein or soy isoflavones—the lower their risk of death and recurrence of breast cancer.
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(This was true whether the cancer was estrogen receptor-positive or estrogen receptor-negative, and whether or not the women took tamoxifen.) Studies also show that soy exerts a protective effect on breast tissue.
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And laboratory studies have shown that phytoestrogens inhibit the growth of human breast cancer cells.
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Get enough lignans.
Another study found that vegetarians and women in areas with low breast cancer risk have high urinary lignan levels, whereas those women in areas of high risk have low levels.
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(Lignans are building blocks for plant cell walls that, when eaten, break down into entero-lactones and entero diol, which have potent anticancer and estrogen-balancing effects.) Flaxseed has one of the highest lignan concentrations of any food. It can be eaten as ground-up seeds (I recommend one-quarter cup three to seven days per week, mixed with soup, yogurt, or other foods) or in capsule form as Brevail, a natural plant extract available at health food stores.

A N
OTE ABOUT
P
HYTOESTROGENS
,
I
SOFLAVONES, AND
C
ANCER
R
ISK

There has been a great deal of misinformation recently about the possibility that phytoestrogens (estrogens from plants) and isoflavones in foods such as soy and flax increase the risk of breast cancer. In fact, many women have been told to avoid these foods. In 2009, an international group of nearly twenty researchers from around the world convened in Milan, Italy, for a meeting on isoflavones and their implication in cancer, sponsored by the Council for Responsible Nutrition. Overall, the information presented in this conference strongly supported the idea that isoflavones are indeed safe both for women with breast cancer and for those who are at high risk for developing breast cancer. This is what Mark Messina, Ph.D., a well-respected soy isoflavone researcher, said at the conclusion of the conference:

According to the science presented at this meeting, isoflavones do not have an effect on breast cell proliferation or breast tissue density, which are two well-established biomarkers of breast cancer risk. In fact, epidemiologic data presented at the meeting showed that exposure to isoflavone-rich soy foods may improve the prognosis of breast cancer patients. Further, new findings strongly indicated that certain results from some animal studies that have raised concern about the impact of isoflavones on breast cancer are not applicable to humans.
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Isoflavones are synonymous with phytoestrogens. The three-dimensional structure of these plant estrogens is what determines how the body uses them. In communicating about this with Margaret Ritchie, Ph.D., a world-renowned expert in phytoestrogens and associated breast cancer research at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, I received the following explanation from her:

Interestingly, phyto-oestrogens cannot act in the same way as oestradiol [these are the British spellings of
phytoestrogens
and
estradiol;
estradiol is the most biologically active of all the estrogens] as oestradiol is a three-dimensional molecule, whereas phyto-oestrogens tend to be planar. The geometry in space due to the chemical structure is very different. Another difference is that oestradiol contains a 6-angstrom biophore, found in many carcinogens. Phyto-oestrogens contain a biophore, but it is
not
6 angstroms and is therefore not able to act as a carcinogen.

In both cases an understanding of the chemistry or shape of the molecules demonstrates the huge differences and hence different actions of phyto-oestrogens compared to natural oestrogens.

Some studies that show a cancer-promoting effect of phyto-oestrogens in rodents have been carried out by Leena Hilakivi-Clarke, Ph.D. The animals were fed neat genistein and exposed to cancer-promoting chemicals. Since no person can eat only one phyto-oestrogen and rodents produce huge amounts of equol [a type of estrogen], these studies are of limited value. Additional studies carried out by the same researchers showed when animals were fed soy . . . with many other phyto-chemicals present, there was a reduction in tumour size and number.
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Eliminate dairy products.
Stop eating all dairy foods for at least one month as atrial run. Over the years I’ve seen this relieve the breast pain of many women. If it hasn’t helped after one month, then you can add dairy foods again. Though I know of no studies that document this specifically, I have found that dairy foods are associated with breast tenderness and lumps in some women. I believe that the reason for this is that when cows are fed large amounts of antibiotics and hormones to increase their milk supply, these pass into their milk and when consumed by humans can potentially affect human breast tissue. Women who use organically produced dairy foods seem to experience fewer problems.

Eliminate caffeine.
Stop all caffeinated beverages, colas, and chocolate— even decaf coffee and decaf Pepsi or Coke. The methylxanthines (caffeine and theobromine) in cola, root beer, coffee, and chocolate can cause overstimulation of breast tissue in some women, though not all. Scientific studies show conflicting evidence about this issue, but I’ve seen women who were so sensitive to these substances that eating one piece of chocolate a month resulted in breast pain. So, as with dairy food, a trial run of elimination (usually for one full menstrual cycle) is worth it.

Decrease alcohol consumption.
Alcohol consumption is associated with breast cancer risk.
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The risk increases with the amount of alcohol consumed. In the Nurses’ Health Study, for example, researchers found that the risk of breast cancer in women who had one or more drinks per day was 60 percent higher than in women who didn’t drink.
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This link is felt to be due to the fact that alcohol consumption increases hormone levels in the blood. (By the way, a 2009 study found that breast cancer survivors who consumed an average of one drink per week had a 90 percent increased risk of a new cancer developing in their other breast.)
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In women age fifty and over, the type of alcohol associated with the highest risk was beer.
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Since many women drink to medicate feelings, unexpressed emotions may enhance the alcohol–breast cancer link.

Take dietary supplements.
Many different studies have documented the benefit of various nutritional supplements for breast health. While most of the studies done on the various supplements that help breast pain studied a particular supplement individually, all these factors work together. For that reason, it’s best to take any supplement along with or as part of a balanced multivitamin formula. Here are some of the more important supplements for breast health:

Omega-3 fats.
There’s an ever-increasing body of literature on the anti-inflammatory properties of omega-3 fats, such as those found in hemp oil, macadamia nuts, walnut oil, flaxseed oil, and cold-water fish or fish oil. These oils help with breast pain for the same reason that they help decrease dysmenorrhea. They help decrease inflammation, which stops breast pain. (See sec-tion on dysmenorrhea, page 120, and chapter 17.) There is evidence suggesting that fish oil may also be protective against breast cancer. One recent study of women with breast cancer showed that the composition of breast tissue was altered in a positive direction following the addition of fish oil supplement for three months.
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I recommend eating plenty of omega-3 fats from foods in addition to taking fish oil supplements (1,000–5,000 mg/day) for optimal breast health.