Information for Better Breast Health

Guidelines to healthier breasts

Most of what's written about breast cancer concerns its treatment while painfully little information is made available regarding its prevention. We firmly believe in the correlation between diet and nutrition and breast cancer and our research has shown that most experts agree.

As noted by Christine Horner, MD in Waking the Warrior Goddess, Hippocrates, the father of medicine, said "Let food be your medicine and medicine be your food." Thousands of years before Hippocrates, Ayurveda stated "Food should be the first medicine you take because without a proper diet, no medicine will work; with a proper diet, no medicine is necessary." The ancient Chinese offered, "He who takes medicine and neglects diet wastes the skill of the physician."

Dr. Horner offers the following guidelines:

Eat fresh organically grown fruits and vegetables every day. Organic produce is grown without harmful, pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers or genetic modifications. These should include cruciferous vegetables which are high in indole-3 carbinol, sulforaphane and D-glucaric acid. These nutrients force the breakdown of estrogen into a protective, non-cancer-promoting type of estrogen, thereby reducing the risk of breast cancer by 40%. You can also receive the benefits of cruciferous vegetables by taking DIM (Diindolylmethane) a stable byproduct of indole-3 carbinol.
Eat organic whole grains every day as they are rich in antioxidants, vitamins, trace minerals, fiber and lignans. Women who eat a high fiber diet have a 54% lower risk of breast cancer.
Avoid trans fats, hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated fats. Consume good fats like Omega 3 fatty acids (found in organic flax seeds - grind fresh daily to avoid oxidation and consume 2 - 3 tblsps. a day) and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). Flax seeds are one of the best breast cancer fighting foods. High fat diets may increase your risk of breast cancer by 50%, while women with breast cancer who have high omega 3 fatty acid levels have a 50% lower incidence of metastasis.
Eat soy based whole food products several times a week. Natto, tofu, tempeh, fresh cooked soybeans or miso are all good sources. These have been shown to reduce risk of breast cancer by 30 to 50%.
Eat maitaki mushrooms which have been shown to stop or stunt tumor growth while preventing metastasis.
Drink organic green tea everyday as this is considered the number one anticancer beverage. It has been shown to stunt tumor growth and reduce metastasis.
Eat turmeric, the number one anticancer spice daily. Turmeric is 300 times more powerful than vitamin E as an antioxidant and enhances the anticancer effects of green tea and soy.
Eat garlic several times a week. Garlic has more antioxidants than any other vegetable and reduces the formation of carcinogens in breast tissue by 50-70%. Take a whole food vitamin, selenium and CoQ10 daily.
Do not eat red meat. Women who eat the most red meat have a 88 - 330% greater risk of breast cancer. Red meat is loaded with pesticides, antibiotics, hormones (estrogens), growth stimulators and insulin-like growth factor-1, which is an extremely high stimulator for breast cancer, perhaps the highest one. Also, environmental toxins are stored in animal fat and when consumed act like estrogens causing a much higher risk of breast cancer.
Avoid eating refined sugar as it is the favorite food of tumors. Refined sugars elevate insulin levels thereby promoting breast cancer not to mention diabetes and obesity. Obesity is responsible for 20 - 30% of all postmenapausal breast cancers. Additionally insulin causes cancer cells to divide and grow faster. Statistically, elevated insulin levels can increase risk of breast cancer by more than 250%. You should also avoid NutraSweet, Equal, Sweet N Low, etc. Instead use natural sweeteners such as stevia and xylitol which not only taste good but are good for you.
No smoking and little or no alcohol.
Discuss the risk versus benefit ratio of birth control pills and hormone replacement therapy with your doctor since these drugs have been shown to significantly increase the risk of breast cancer.
Avoid toxic products in your home and work environment and minimize your exposure to electromagnetic fields.
Detox your body a couple of times a year. Practice stress relief; yoga, deep breathing, meditation. Take quality time for yourself each day. Get adequate sleep, preferably going to bed by 10:00pm. This will maximize melatonin levels. Melatonin is a powerful antioxidant which can deter or improve your chances of survival from breast cancer.

In addition to the above we offer the following recommendations: Do a self breast exam (SBE) at least once a month. Statistics have shown that more breast cancers are found on SBE than by mammography. Another benefit of SBE is increased blood and lymphatic supply to the breast.

Avoid deodorants and antiperspirants containing aluminum. The problem is two fold; the aluminum is absorbed through the skin and antiperspirants stop the body from perspiring which is the body's way of releasing toxins. It's a good idea to give yourself a little lymphatic masage in the morning before you dress or at the end of the day when you're getting ready for bed. It's easy to do and only takes a couple of minutes. Using your fingertips, gently massage your breasts in an outward motion, moving from the nipple out in a clockwise fashion including the underarm area.

Avoid underwire bras or bras that are to tight or that compress the breasts. These may restrict blood flow and/or damage delicate breast tissue. Also the underwires act as a magnet for electromagnetic rays.