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Cancer - Breast

It seems that breast cancer has taken the world by storm. Pink ribbons, fundraisers, television specials, newspaper articles everywhere have put this issue on centre stage for the modern woman. Virtually every modern woman is interested in learning as much as she can about preventing this illness. Those who have breast cancer are willing to go to great lengths to make sure that they are survivors. They are among the highest users of alternative therapies. It is important to find out which options are most likely to exceed – based on science and clinical experience.

Mammograms - minimal benefit?

Breast cancer is becoming more common – it is estimated that a woman has a 1 in 9 chance of getting the disease in her lifetime, If you are over 50 years old, the official recommendation is that you should get a routine mammogram every two years. This is the message that women are given: get a mammogram – it could save your life.

You may be quite surprised to learn that the scientific research tells us that mammograms are probably a waste of time. Although they detect cancers earlier, that has not translated into many lives saved. When all the clinical trials were studied together, examining over half a million women, it was found that 2000 women would have to get mammograms every year for a decade to prevent a single breast cancer death.

The authors of the study estimated that those 20,000 mammograms that prevent a single breast cancer – at a cost of $1.6 million – will lead to ten incorrect diagnoses. This means that ten healthy women have to undergo further testing and treatment for a lump seen on a mammogram that turns out to be normal.¹

If you have a sister or mother with breast cancer, or have a known genetic risk of the disease, then screening is definitely a good idea. What’s more, MRI testing is slowly becoming the new standard for testing, since it detects cancers earlier and more reliably.

We do not advocate that women stop getting mammograms, but this should certainly not be the focus of your effort to prevent breast cancer.²

Lifestyle is the best prevention

What you eat, what you do and other aspects of your lifestyle have a much greater impact on breast cancer than regular mammograms. A large body of evidence suggests that you can reduce your risk by:

Avoiding alcohol.

The evidence is pretty clear that the more you drink, the higher your risk. Although some studies suggest that red wine prevents heart disease, there is not really a safe amount of alcohol in terms of breast cancer.

Eating flax.

The lignans in flax affect many factors in your body that control breast cancer risk. The best approach is to buy seeds and a coffee grinder, and grind a small amount every time you want to sprinkle it on your food.

Getting regular exercise.

This can be aerobic or resistance training (lifting weights). The more the better. We don’t consider walking exercise – you need to work up a sweat and get your heart racing.

Fruits and vegetables – the more the merrier.

Many studies have shown that people who eat these regularly get fewer cancers. The best choices are cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower and brussels sprout, because they contain specific chemicals that affect estrogen balance in the body.

Avoid red meat and high-fat dairy.

These have been linked to risk of many cancers, including breast cancer.

Eat turmeric.

This Indian spice contains curcumin, which has a powerful effect on the immune system. It has been clinically proven to treat many immune-mediated diseases and its role in cancer prevention is being investigated worldwide. It is best absorbed with a small amount of black pepper.

Omega-3 fats.

These are the healthy fats in fish that give them their preventive effect on heart disease and brain function. Many other illnesses are prevented by getting enough of these fats, and early evidence suggests that breast cancer is likely one of them.

A word about soy

Soy contains substances named isoflavones whose chemical shape is similar to estradiol, allowing them to bind to estrogen receptors.  For this reason, they are called phytoestrogens, and their names are genistein, daidzein and glycitein. 

For years there has been evidence suggesting that soy isoflavones may offer protection from breast cancer.  The incidence of breast cancer in Asian countries is up to 7 times lower than in Western countries.  Soy also has antiestrogenic and anticancer effects in test tubes and in animal studies.  Most recently, a recent systematic review of 8 studies in Asian women found that women who ate the most soy (more than 70 grams of tofu per day) had 30% less risk of developing breast cancer.³   The most benefit was seen in those who started consuming soy as teenagers.

On the other hand, there has been some concern about the risk of soy for women who already have breast cancer.  This is because isoflavones stimulate the growth of MCF-7 cancer cells in test tubes – which are estrogen receptor positive (ER+).  There are a few small studies suggesting that this may not be a concern in the real world because they also stimulate the immune system.⁴  For now, the safest approach is to avoid eating too much soy if you have ER+ breast cancer. 

Overall, soy is a healthy source of protein and other nutrients that we recommend for our patients.  The best choice is fermented soy products such as miso, tempeh or natto, which have many other healthy ingredients.  Tofu is also a good choice.  Soy milk and soy-based meat substitutes are more refined and should be eaten in smaller amounts.

Alternative therapies

If you have breast cancer, it is even more important to eat these foods – and avoid sugar and refined starches. But diet is not the only way to prevent – and treat – breast cancer. Many novel therapies have good science supporting them, and you should consider adding them to your regimen. Many act on the immune system, which is how our bodies destroy cancer cells naturally. Boosting the immune system should be part of any cancer protocol. Some of the strategies we use at the centre include:

Mushroom extracts.

Some mushrooms, which have been used as medicines in China for centuries, are very rich in chemicals called beta glucans. These beta glucans fight cancer.

Naltrexone.

This pharmaceutical drug raises endorphin levels, which have been intimately linked to immune function. There is a growing body of anecdotal evidence from doctors and patients, and pilot studies are underway.

Probiotics.

These are bacteria that alter the immune system through their action in the gut. They have been shown to treat many diseases involving the immune system. Fermented foods like miso, tempeh, yogurt, kefir and sauerkraut should be supplemented with pills containing large amounts of these bacteria.

Vitamin D.

This may revolutionize cancer prevention in the modern world. Astonishing findings in studies have shown that it may prevent up to 75% of cancers. All because we don’t get enough sun. We test blood levels of vitamin D and supplement as needed.

Melatonin.

This hormone is produced naturally by the brain at night. Women who work nights are at increased risk of breast cancer. Two clinical trials found that women with terminal breast cancer who took melatonin lived twice as long as those who took placebo.

One of the most important therapies we recommend for breast cancer is intravenous vitamin C. This has been used for decades in clinics around the world and is now the subject of a government-sponsored clinical trial in the US. Statistical survival in patients who have used IV vitamin C is much better than expected for many cancers. This is a treatment we provide at the centre under medical supervision.

These are just a few of the options for treatment and prevention of breast cancer that are available to you. Our preference is to provide an individually tailored program for our patients after an integrative assessment.

1. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2006;4:CD001877.
2. N Engl J Med. 2004;351:427-37.
3. Br J Cancer 2008;98:9.
4. Nutr J 2008;7:17.

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