Featured Topic: Breast Cancer (6 slides)
Breast Cancer Rates are Going Up Breast cancer rates have increased 20% in the last five years As the baby boomer generation ages, the total number of women with breast cancer is expected to increase by 50% by 2030 Breast cancer is the second leading cause of death (after heart disease) of American women Researchers estimate that if women with minor gene variations (NOT the BRCA gene) linked to breast cancer did these 3 things, 30% of breast cancer cases could be avoided: Maintain a healthy weight Don t smoke Limit alcohol intake Do not use hormone therapy after menopause
What else affects breast cancer risk? NSAID drugs 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 But, NSAIDS cause stomach ulcers, among other adverse effects Frequent use of antibiotics Women who used antibiotics for more than 500 days, or had more than 25 prescriptions, in a 17 year period had double the risk of breast cancer as women who didn t use antibiotics High levels of inflammation A 2015 study found that women with high levels of the inflammatory marker, c-reactive protein, are twice as likely to develop breast cancer than women with low c-reactive protein levels
Strategies to Reduce Breast Cancer Risk: #1: 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 stop chronic inflammation and breast cancer? Curcumin! No adverse effects (such as stomach ulcers associated with aspirin/ibuprofen) Up to an 80% inhibition of breast cancer cell replication (cell study) 40% reduction in tumor size associated with curcumin in animal model of human breast cancer In a cell study looking at triple negative breast cancer cells, curcumin nearly doubled the effectiveness of the chemotherapy drug 5-FU in killing breast cancer cells
#2: Aromatase Aromatase = enzyme that increases estrogen formation (converts androgens to estrogen) Side effects of synthetic aromatase inhibitors including joint and muscle pain, risk of bone fractures, and menopause-like symptoms: hot flashes, night sweats, and vaginal dryness Two natural aromatase inhibitors: grape seed and pomegranate Grape seed reduced aromatase activity by 75% (cell study) and tumor size by almost 60% (animal model of breast cancer) Grape seed has also been shown to stop the spread of invasive triple negative breast cancer cells the most aggressive and difficult to treat form of breast cancer Pomegranate seed oil shown to reduce the activity of aromatase 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 (cell study) The combination of pomegranate and the estrogen-blocker drug tamoxifen nullified the cancer-causing activity of estrogen, even in cells that were previously found resistant to the effects of tamoxifen alone
#3: Get more Vitamin D 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. Vitamin D helps cells develop normally and prevents the formation and spread of cancer cells In a study of over 4,000 women with breast cancer, those with the highest vitamin D levels had a 50% reduction in their risk of death than those with the lowest vitamin D levels Even low dose (400 IU) vitamin D supplementation was found to reduce early stage breast cancer by 18%
Recap: Breast Cancer If you are at risk, or have been diagnosed with breast cancer, lifestyle changes CAN help Diet, Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome are behind up to 35% of all cancer deaths Reduce exposure to environmental xenoestrogens Get some exercise: a sedentary lifestyle increases risk of certain cancers in women by over 70% Keep inflammation and aromatase activity in check with 1400 mg of curcumin, grape seed and pomegranate, and 2,000 IU of vitamin D daily. Listen to Dr. Holly Lucille s talk Breast Cancer Answers, on the Terry Talks Nutrition Youtube channel (youtube.com/terrytalksnutrition)
Prevent Heart Failure with Vitamin D (1 slide)
Vitamin D deficiency increases risk of heart failure Researchers in Brazil collected data from 137 elderly adults being treated at cardiology clinics 65% of the patients were deficient in vitamin D 78% were overweight or obese 91% had high blood pressure After analyzing all the data, researchers determined that Vitamin D deficiency was associated with a 12 times increased risk of heart disease Obesity was associated with a 4 times increased risk of heart disease Heart arrhythmia was associated with a 3 times increased risk of heart disease In other words, low vitamin D was worse for the heart than obesity!