By Dr. Mercola
Revealing new data from the charity Cancer Research UK
reports that a record number of women under the age of 50 are
being diagnosed with breast cancer.
For the first time, more than 10,000 women under 50 were
diagnosed with the disease in the UK, which translates to one
out of every five women diagnosed with breast cancer.
The news comes on the heels of a JAMA study published earlier
this year, which similarly found that the number of young women
(aged 25-39) in the US being diagnosed with advanced breast
cancer is also increasing.1
Typically, cancer is much more likely to develop as you get
older. The non-profit BreastCancer.org even states:2
“ … the aging process is the biggest risk factor for
breast cancer. That's because the longer we live, there are
more opportunities for genetic damage (mutations) in the
body. And as we age, our bodies are less capable of
repairing genetic damage.”
So why is it that so many younger women are now being struck
by this potentially deadly disease?
What is Causing Breast Cancer in Young Women?
No one knows for sure, but it’s fairly safe to say that there
are likely multiple contributors, many of them environmentally
based. Cancer Research UK has singled out hormonal factors, such
as having children later in life, having fewer children or
taking birth control pills, as probable culprits, for instance.
This makes sense, as in 2002 one of the largest and
best-designed studies of hormone replacement therapy was halted
because women taking these synthetic hormones had such a higher
risk of breast cancer (and heart attack, stroke and blood clots)
that continuing forward with the study would have been
unethical.
The news made headlines because millions of women were
already taking these synthetic hormones, but fortunately it
prompted many of them to quit. And what do you think happened a
year after millions of women quit taking hormone replacement
therapy? Incidence of breast cancer fell dramatically -- by 7
percent!
What does this have to do with the Pill? Birth control pills
contain the SAME type of synthetic hormones -- estrogen and
progestin -- that were used in the ill-fated study!
Even women who aren’t taking birth control pills are exposed
to synthetic hormones that have become increasingly widespread
in recent years.
For instance, parabens are chemicals with estrogen-like
properties, and estrogen is one of the hormones involved in the
development of breast cancer. Parabens are widely used in
personal care products like shampoo, lotion, deodorant, shaving
gel and cosmetics.
These chemicals have been detected in breast cancer tissues
at concentrations up to 1 million times higher than the estrogen
(estradiol) levels naturally found in human breast tissue.3
Propylparaben, in particular, was found in the highest
concentration in the underarm area (axilla), where underarm
deodorants are most used and breast cancer prevalence is at its
highest.
Clearly these chemicals are accumulating at alarmingly high
concentrations, likely because of their widespread and
persistent daily use. And exposure often begins as early as in
the womb, the health effects of which are completely unknown.
Another Breast Cancer Risk Hiding in Your Milk …
Not only are children and young women inundated with
hormone-mimicking chemicals in personal care products, but such
potentially cancer-causing chemicals are also found in a dietary
staple for many: milk.
RBGH, or recombinant bovine growth hormone, is a synthetic
version of natural bovine somatotropin (BST), a hormone produced
in cows' pituitary glands. RBGH is the largest selling dairy
animal drug in the US, where cows are injected with it to boost
their milk production. But it is banned in Canada, Japan,
Australia, New Zealand, and in the 27 countries of the European
Union because of its dangers to human health.
RBGH milk contains increased levels of insulin growth
factor-1 (IGF-1). IGF-1 regulates cell growth, cell division,
and the ability of cancer cells to spread to your distant organs
(invasiveness). In other words, IGF-1 has potent
growth-stimulating effects in human breast tissue, especially
in the presence of estradiol (a form of estrogen). Growth
factors such as IGF-1 are "catalysts" for the transformation of
normal breast tissue into breast cancer tissue, and are
critically involved in the aberrant growth of human breast
cancer cells.
One study showed that premenopausal women with elevated IGF-1
levels had up to a seven-fold increase in breast cancer.4
And separate research showed women younger than age 35 who have
elevated IGF-1 have more aggressive breast cancer.5
The breast tissues of female fetuses and infants are
especially sensitive to hormonal influences and cancer-causing
chemicals. Infants and children exposed to high IGF-1 early on
may become "sensitized," leading to health problems later in
life, such as breast enlargement in infants and young children,
and breast cancer in adult women. Yet, despite these elevated
risks to children, few schools make rBGH-free or organic milk
available, nor do most state governments under low-income food
programs
Toxic Insults, Nutritional Deficiencies Behind Many Breast
Cancer Cases
The primary causes of breast cancer -- nutritional
deficiencies, exposure to environmental toxicity, inflammation,
estrogen dominance and the resultant breakdown in genetic
integrity and immune surveillance – still manifest as disease
primarily among those over 50. However, the toxic insults are
now hitting younger generations, who are much more susceptible
to their adverse health effects.
For instance, girls who receive radiation to the chest to
treat childhood cancer have a high risk of
developing breast cancer at a young age, according to
research. Even those who received low doses of the common cancer
treatment face an increased risk of breast cancer later, the
scientists said.
Plus, in the US, women are still urged to get an annual
mammogram starting at the age of 40, despite the fact that
updated guidelines set forth by the U.S. Preventive Services
Task Force in 2009 urge women to wait until the age of 50, and
to only get bi-annual screening thereafter.
The primary hazard of mammography is ionizing radiation
that may actually increase your cancer risk. According to a
2010 study,6
annual screening using digital or screen-film mammography on
women aged 40–80 years is associated with an induced
cancer incidence and fatal breast cancer rate of 20-25 cases per
100, 000. This means annual mammograms cause 20-25 cases
of fatal cancer for every 100,000 women getting the test. And
now with the “new and improved”
3D TOMOSYNTHESIS mammogram, women will be exposed to even
more radiation.
Screening Ultrasound Catches Cancers Missed by Mammography
Many women are unaware that if they have dense breast tissue
(40 to 50 percent of women), mammograms are basically useless
for them. Dense breast tissue and cancer both appear white on an
X-ray, making it nearly impossible for a radiologist to detect
cancer in these women. It’s like trying to find a snowflake in a
blizzard.
Some radiologists already provide density information to
their patients, and encourage them to utilize other screening
options like thermography, ultrasound and/or MRI. Recent
research, in fact, revealed that for women with dense breasts,
receiving a screening breast ultrasound after mammography
detected an additional 3.4 cancer or high-risk lesions per 1,000
women screened.7
I believe it reasonable for a woman to trust that her
radiologist is not withholding vital density information,
however only California, Connecticut, New York, Virginia and
Texas have passed laws making it mandatory for radiologists to
inform their patients about this issue. Unfortunately, many have
kept this potentially lifesaving data from women for decades,
and our government agencies have failed to protect them from
this unethical practice.
Top Breast Cancer Prevention Strategies
Cancer screening does NOT equate to cancer prevention, and
although early detection is important, using a screening method
that in and of itself increases your risk of developing cancer
is simply not good medicine ... Preventing breast cancer is far
more important and powerful than simply trying to detect it
after it has already formed, which is why I want to share my top
tips on how to help prevent this disease in the first place.
In the largest review of research into lifestyle and breast
cancer, the American Institute of Cancer Research estimated that
about 40 percent of US breast cancer cases could be prevented if
people made wiser lifestyle choices.8
I believe these estimates are far too low, and it is more likely
that 75 percent to 90 percent of breast cancers could be avoided
by strictly applying the recommendations below, which are the
same for young women and older women alike.
- Avoid sugar, especially fructose. All
forms of sugar are detrimental to health in general and
promote cancer.
Fructose, however, is clearly one of the most harmful
and should be avoided as much as possible.
- Optimize your vitamin D. Vitamin
D influences virtually every cell in your body and is
one of nature's most potent cancer fighters; recent research
suggests maintaining your vitamin D levels may cut your
cancer risk by
77 percent. Vitamin D is actually able to enter cancer
cells and trigger apoptosis (programmed cell death). If you
have cancer, your vitamin D level should be between 70 and
100 ng/ml.
Vitamin D works synergistically with every cancer
treatment I'm aware of, with no adverse effects. I suggest
you try watching my one-hour free lecture on
vitamin D to learn more.
Remember that if you take oral vitamin D3 supplements,
you also need to increase your vitamin K2 intake, as vitamin
D increases the need for K2 to function properly. See my
previous article
What You Need to Know About Vitamin K2, D and Calcium
for more information.
Please consider joining one of GrassrootsHealth’s
D*Action’s vitamin D studies to stay on top of your vitamin
D performance. For more information, see my previous article
How Vitamin D Performance Testing Can Help You Optimize Your
Health.
- Get plenty of natural vitamin A. There
is evidence that vitamin A also plays a role in helping
prevent breast cancer.9
It's best to obtain it from vitamin A-rich foods, rather
than a supplement. Your best sources are organic egg yolks,
raw butter, raw whole milk, and beef or chicken liver.
- Lymphatic breast massage can help
enhance your body’s natural ability to eliminate cancerous
toxins. This can be applied by a licensed therapists, or you
can implement self-lymphatic massage. It is also promotes
self-nurturance.
- Avoid charring your meats. Charcoal or
flame-broiled meat is linked with increased breast cancer
risk. Acrylamide — a carcinogen created when starchy foods
are baked, roasted or fried — has been found to increase
breast cancer risk as well.
- Avoid unfermented soy products.
Unfermented soy is high in plant estrogens, or
phytoestrogens, also known as isoflavones. In some studies,
soy appears to work in concert with human estrogen to
increase breast cell proliferation, which increases the
chances for mutations and cancerous cells. It is believed
that fermentation actually transforms soy phytoestrogens
like daidzin, glycitin and genistin to the more active
phytogestrogenic compounds dadzein, glycitein and
genistein. But, these phytoestrogens are adaptopgenic and
can even block out endogenous estradiol and xenobiotic
estrogens, reducing their harm as least in theory.
- Improve your insulin receptor sensitivity.
The best way to do this is by avoiding sugar and grains and
making sure you are exercising, especially with
Peak Fitness.
- Maintain a healthy body weight. This
will come naturally when you begin eating right for your
nutritional type and exercising. It's important to lose
excess body fat because fat produces estrogen.
- Drink a half to whole quart of organic green
vegetable juice daily. Please review
my juicing instructions for more detailed information.
- Get plenty of high-quality animal-based omega-3
fats, such as krill oil.
Omega-3 deficiency is a common underlying factor for
cancer.
- Curcumin. This is the primary active
ingredient in turmeric and in high concentrations,
especially when combined with a phospholipid such as
phosphatidyl choline or the black pepper compound piperine,
can be very useful adjunct in the treatment of breast
cancer. It shows immense therapeutic potential in preventing
breast cancer metastasis.10
It's important to know that curcumin is generally not
absorbed that well, so I've provided several
absorption tips here.
- Avoid drinking alcohol, or at least
limit your alcoholic drinks to one per day.
- Breastfeed exclusively for up to six
months. Research shows breastfeeding can reduce your breast
cancer risk.
- Avoid wearing underwire bras. There is
a good deal of data that metal
underwire bras can heighten your breast cancer risk.
- Avoid electromagnetic fields as much as
possible. Even electric blankets may increase your
cancer risk.
- Avoid synthetic hormone replacement therapy.
Breast cancer is an estrogen-related cancer, and according
to a study published in the Journal of the National
Cancer Institute, breast cancer rates for women dropped
in tandem with decreased use of
hormone replacement therapy. (As mentioned, there are
similar risks for younger women who use oral contraceptives.
Birth control pills, which are also comprised of synthetic
hormones, have been linked to cervical and breast cancers.)
If you are experiencing excessive menopausal symptoms,
you may want to consider bioidentical hormone replacement
therapy instead, which uses hormones that are molecularly
identical to the ones your body produces and do not wreak
havoc on your system. This is a much safer alternative.
- Avoid BPA, phthalates and other xenoestrogens.
These are estrogen-like compounds that have been linked to
increased breast cancer risk
- Make sure you're not iodine deficient,
as there's compelling evidence linking iodine deficiency
with breast cancer. Dr. David Brownstein,11
author of the book Iodine: Why You Need It, Why You
Can't Live Without It, is a proponent of iodine for
breast cancer. It actually has potent anticancer properties
and has been shown to cause cell death in breast and thyroid
cancer cells.
For more information, I recommend reading Dr.
Brownstein's book. I have been researching iodine for some
time ever since I interviewed
Dr. Brownstein as I do believe that the bulk of what he
states is spot on. However, I am not at all convinced that
his dosage recommendations are correct. I believe they are
likely too high.
© Copyright 1997-2013 Dr. Joseph Mercola. All Rights Reserved.