5 Ways to Beat Breast Cancer

#1: Reduce inflammation

• Researchers found a 21% decrease in breast cancer risk in women who took 2 of the anti-inflammatory medications aspirin or ibuprofen a week

– Inflammation causes damage to breast cells, making cancer development more likely

• A better way to reduce inflammation? Curcumin!

• Not only does cur cumin reduce inflammation without adverse effects (such as stomach ulcers associated with aspirin/ibuprofen), it has been shown to prevent cancer development, progression and spread

Curcumin After Radiation

• 95% of breast cancer patients experience dermatitis (skin inflammation and redness) caused by radiation treatments
• Researchers believe that curcumin may be able to prevent skin damage associated with radiation therapy
• 30 patients with non-inflammatory breast cancer took 6 g of curcumin (orally) or a placebo daily during their radiation treatment

  – Radiation dermatitis severity (RDA) scores were taken weekly - on a scale of 0-4 the mean score was

  • Curcumin users: 2.6 • Placebo users: 3.4

  – Curcumin also appeared to reduce the risk of skin peeling which affected

  • Curcumin users: 28.6% • Placebo users: 87.5%

#2: Iodine

• Iodine has been shown to alter breast cancer associated gene expressions

  – Turns off cancer promoting genes & turns on genes that promote cancer cell apoptosis (cellular destruction)

• Iodine makes breast cells less sensitive to estrogen
• Iodine detoxifies the toxic halogens (bromide, fluoride,

  chloride)

• Iodized salt is not sufficient for supplementing iodine
• Iodine experts recommend 6.25 - 12.5 mg of iodine or more daily

  – 100 times greater than our RDA

  – This is the estimated individual intake among Japan’s population

  • Japan has the lowest rates of thyroid, prostate, & breast cancer

#3: Daily Multiple plus Vitamin D

• Taking a basic multivitamin lowers breast cancer risk by 30%; adding 2,000 IU of vitamin D every day cuts breast cancer risk 50%

  – Vitamins C and E, and Zinc, stimulate the immune system to destroy cancer cells

  – Vitamin D helps cells develop normally and prevents the formation and spread of cancer cells

• Did you know? Women with the lowest vitamin D levels have breast cancer rates 5 times higher than those getting ample vitamin D. The lower the vitamin D levels, the faster breast cancer spreads.

#4: Olive oil

• Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) contains compounds that kill off a certain type of breast cancer cell (HER2-positive)
• When EVOO was given to animals with breast cancer, their tumors became less malignant
• Remember: diets high in trans-fats INCREASE the risk of breast cancer, while healthy oils (including EVOO) and saturated fats DECREASE the risk of breast cancer
• EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL is what is needed. It is processed without heat, preserving the cancer-killing compounds that are destroyed in processed, low quality olive oil
• The equivalent to the dosage used in clinical studies is about 2 tablespoons daily

#5 Pomegranate

• Reduces oxidative damage which leads to cancer cell formation
• In cell and animal model studies, pomegranate reduced growth of breast cancer cells by 87%
• Pomegranate seed oil which contains the omega-5 fatty acid, punicic acid, is particularly effective against breast cancer
  • –  In one study, pomegranate seed oil reduced the activity of aromatase, an enzyme which aids in estrogen formation, by 60-80%
  • –  Pomegranate seed oil showed a 90% inhibition of estrogen-sensitive breast cancer cells and a 70% inhibition of breast cancer cell spread, in a recent (in-vitro) test
• Additionally, pomegranate
  • –  Increases rate of cancer cell self-destruction and reduces spread of

    cancer cells

  • –  Inhibits angiogenesis (growing new blood vessels to feed cancer cells)

Pomegranate and Tamoxifen

• Tamoxifen is a drug used for breast cancer treatment
• Estrogen receptor agonist – blocks the effect of estrogen from acting on breast cancer cells

  – Remember – some kinds of cancer grow and spread faster in the presence of the hormone, estrogen

• In a recent study, scientists treated breast cancer cells resistant to tamoxifen with a combination of tamoxifen and pomegranate extract
  • –  the combination of the two nullified the cancer-causing activity of estrogen, even in cells that were previously found resistant to the effects of tamoxifen alone
  • –  In other words, pomegranate caused the tamoxifen to be more effective at blocking the effects of estrogen in breast cancer cells
  • –  Some researchers feel that pomegranate may be equivalent to tamoxifen in preventing breast cancer recurrence!

Summary

• Minimize exposure to environmental and dietary xenoestrogens

• Clean diet with healthy fats, including olive oil

  • Supplemental

  • –  A good daily multivitamin/mineral

  • –  2500 to 5000 IU Vitamin D

  • –  Curcumin – 750 mg of bioavilable curcumin providing 500 mg curcuminoids

  • –  Iodine – 6.25 – 12.5 mg daily (may want to take higher amounts as a loading dose)

  • –  Pomegranate – 600 mg of pomegranate seed oil and pomegranate seed extract

Guest Post:  http://www.terrytalksnutrition.com