How can Nutrition help in Breast Cancer? Joan Faria, Naturopathic Nutritional Therapist Empowered Nutrition

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1 How can Nutrition help in Breast Cancer? Joan Faria, Naturopathic Nutritional Therapist Empowered Nutrition

2 My Story

3 Why aren t we given advice on nutrition during treatment? Oncologists and surgeons are busy people and mostly do not have any nutrition training themselves The evidence base for nutrition is different: - The supremacy of the randomised controlled trial suits pharmaceutical drugs - It is very difficult to carry out well-designed nutrition research - Nutrition is not like a drug it works with our body, and every one of us has a different body

4 My approach

5 Cancer: lifestyle or genetics? 5-10% genetic 90-95% related to lifestyle and environment! Even genetic defects such as a mutated BRCA gene may not express if the environment in the body is right. In one study : - risk by age 50 pre-1940 = 24% - risk by age 50 after 1940 = 67% - have we evolved so fast or is something else going on?

6 What can be imbalanced in cancer? Chronic inflammation Blood sugar imbalance Nutrient deficiencies Lack of oxygenation Poor cellular energy production Toxin accumulation Epigenetic changes Hormone imbalance Dysbiosis And many more

7 Blood sugar imbalance

8 Blood sugar imbalance

9 Blood sugar imbalance why it matters Raised insulin fat storage weight gain increased inflammation and oestrogen higher risk of cancer High blood sugar more fuel for cancer cells Low blood sugar stressful for the body cortisol release impaired immune function Low blood sugar hunger, dizziness, headaches etc difficulty making good food choices! Poor blood sugar control chronic inflammation drives cancer!!!

10 Blood sugar imbalance

11 Blood sugar imbalance

12 Improving blood sugar control Eliminate sugar and refined ( white ) carbohydrates Choose whole grains, starchy root vegetables and pulses instead Eat lots of fibre Always eat some fat and protein with carbohydrates Consider reducing your total carbohydrate intake (this means increasing healthy fats)

13 Toxins

14 Toxins, toxins everywhere Insecticides and herbicides Heavy metals (in fish, dental amalgams, cigarettes) Plastics BPA and phthalates Parabens Flame retardants Teflon Arsenic Moulds Cooking by-products Drinking water And don t forget chemotherapy drugs!

15 Toxins how do they relate to cancer? They can cause changes to DNA They can cause cells to divide faster than normal, increasing the risk of mutations They overburden our liver, so that it cannot detoxify our own hormones so effectively Many act like oestrogen in the body causing cell growth

16 Common symptoms of toxic overload Skin issues like eczema Food allergies Asthma Headaches Poor memory and concentration Being overweight Sensitivities to environmental chemicals, perfumes etc Chronic fatigue Digestive problems Muscle aches and pains

17 Toxins - avoidance Stop smoking! Eat organic food as much as possible especially animal products Avoid charred food and food cooked at high temperatures Clean up your toiletries, cosmetics and household cleaning products Ventilate your home as much as possible Use glass, steel or ceramic containers to store food, use steel or glass water bottles and ask oily fish to be wrapped in paper Avoid cooking in non-stick pans Consider buying a water filtration system

18 Water filtration systems

19 Toxins help your body Drink 2 litres of water every day Love your liver avoid alcohol Follow guidelines for vegetables especially cruciferous vegetables and green leafy vegetables Make sure you are eating enough protein Detox baths, eg Epsom Salts Move! Get sweaty!

20 Oestrogen Even if your cancer was not oestrogen receptor positive, it s likely that oestrogen was involved somehow Oestrogen attaches to cells and sets off a series of signals which trigger growth and stop cells from dying when they should

21 Oestrogen out of balance Women are supposed to have oestrogen but our bodies may not be processing it properly We are NOT supposed to be exposed to oestrogen mimicking chemicals Being overweight increases the amount of circulating oestrogen We need progesterone to balance oestrogen, but progesterone is reduced when we are stressed

22 Using food to improve oestrogen metabolism Cruciferous vegetables Sulphur-containing foods: onions, garlic, leeks, eggs B vitamins Magnesium: green leafy vegetables, pulses, nuts, seeds Fibre, eg slippery elm, pectin, rice bran, psyllium husks Good gut bacteria is important eat fermented foods or probiotics, getting rid of any chronic infections or food intolerances

23 Broccoli sprouts

24 So what should I eat?

25 The Penny Brohn plate

26 Vegetables Fill half your plate at lunch and dinner (and breakfast?!) Cruciferous vegetables and sulphur vegetables EVERY DAY help with oestrogen metabolism Leafy green vegetables help protect DNA and also help with oestrogen Compounds in yellow, orange and red vegetables have been associated with a reduced risk of breast cancer recurrence carrots, squashes, peppers Mushrooms are very supportive of the immune system Including some raw vegetables is good if your digestion allows In other words variety!

27 Fruit 2-3 portions per day Fruit contains lots of beneficial plant compounds Mainly eat fruit from temperate climates (apples, berries, pears, plums etc) as tropical fruit can have a big impact on blood sugar Don t juice fruit or have commercial fruit smoothies Berries are particularly high in anti-cancer compounds

28 Protein We need enough protein for repair (especially after cancer treatment), to make hormones and neurotransmitters, to detoxify and to control blood sugar But too much protein can drive cancer growth Recommendation: 1 palmful with every meal Meat, game, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy, pulses, fermented soy products Nuts and seeds also contain reasonable amounts of protein Choose the best quality animal protein you can: organic, grass-fed, or wild

29 Starchy carbohydrates Whole grains (brown rice, oats, rye, millet, barley, whole wheat, quinoa) Starchy root vegetables (sweet potatoes, squashes, potatoes) Avoid white carbohydrates as they spike blood sugar and are stripped of nutrients Not as much as you might think try not basing your meal on them Recommendation: 1 cupped handful per meal, or even less

30 Healthy fats We need good fats to make vitamin D from sunlight, to make our hormones, to absorb fat soluble vitamins (vit A, D, E, K) Avoid damaged fats completely these are found in commercial baked goods, margarine, crisps, cheap vegetable oils Enjoy oily fish, avocados, extra virgin olive oil and a small amount of fresh unsalted nuts (especially walnuts) and seeds Maintaining the correct ratio of omega 3 to omega 6 fats reduces inflammation Only cook with butter, coconut oil, lard or dripping (and olive oil at low temperatures) Use extra virgin olive oil cold as a dressing or poured over cooked vegetables

31 Herbs and spices A concentrated source of cancer-fighting compounds Add interest to your food without adding sugar Turmeric is the best known anti-cancer spice mix with black pepper and a source of fat But other herbs and spices are very beneficial too use liberally!

32 Controversial foods Red meat Dairy products Caffeine Soy products

33 Foods best avoided Refined grains and sugars Alcohol Barbecued or charred foods Damaged fats

34 A reminder

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38 Where to find me: Joan Faria on Flat Friends FB group sign up to my newsletters Search for Empowered Nutrition on Facebook