Early soy consumption linked with reduced breast cancer risk

An article published in the American Association for Cancer Research journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention reported that Asian-American women who consumed high amounts of soy during childhood had a lesser risk of developing breast cancer compared with women who consumed less soy. Although women living in Asia have a lower risk of breast cancer than those residing in the United States, breast cancer risk increases among the descendents of those who migrate to the U.S., leading researchers to believe that the Western diet may be involved.

Larissa Korde, MD, MPH of the National Cancer Institute and her colleagues analyzed data from 597 breast cancer patients and 966 healthy women of Chinese, Japanese or Filipino descent who resided in the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles and Hawaii. For participants whose reported childhood intake of soy was among the highest one-third of subjects there was a 58 percent lower risk of breast cancer compared with those whose intake was in the lowest third. The reduction was similar for all three ethnicities and for those with and without a family history of breast cancer. High intake during adolescent or adult years was associated with a 20 to 25 percent lower risk of the disease. Continue Reading

Greater carotenoid intake linked with longer cancer-free survival in breast cancer patients

The February, 2009 issue of the American Association for Cancer Research journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention published the discovery of researchers from the University of California, San Diego, the University of Arizona, and other research centers of a positive effect of high carotenoid intake on recurrence-free survival in breast cancer patients. Carotenoids, such as beta-carotene, occur in most fruits and vegetables. Diets high in these plant foods have been linked with a protective effect against various cancers in a number of studies.



The current study included 3,043 participants in the Women’s Healthy Eating and Living Study which was designed to evaluate the effect of a high plant food, low fat diet on breast cancer recurrence and survival in women diagnosed and treated for early-stage disease. Participants were assigned to a group that had as its goal consumption of 5 vegetable servings per day, 3 fruit servings, 30 grams fiber, and 15 to 20 percent of calories from fat, or to a group that received instructions on achieving a daily intake of 5 servings of combined vegetables and fruit, at least 20 grams of fiber, and less than 30 percent of energy intake from fat.



Blood samples collected upon enrollment and at one, two or three, four and six years were analyzed for plasma carotenoids, including alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, lutein, lycopene, and beta-cryptoxanthin. Average carotenoid concentration over time, reflecting dietary intake, was estimated for each participant, and those with low, medium and high concentrations were compared. Continue Reading

How broccoli protects against breast cancer

An article published in the December, 2008 issue of the journal Carcinogenesis explains how broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables protect against cancer of the breast. Increased intake of cruciferous vegetables, which also include cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and cabbage, has been associated with a lower risk of breast and other cancers, yet their mechanism of action against the disease has not been thoroughly explored.

Researchers at the University of California Santa Barbara laboratories of Professors Leslie Wilson and Mary Ann Jordan studied the effects of sulforaphane, one of a group of cruciferous vegetable compounds known as isothiocyanates, on cultured human breast cancer cells. They found that sulforaphane inhibits tumor cell proliferation in a manner similar to that of taxol and vincristine, which are powerful anticancer drugs. The drugs help prevent cell division during a process known as mitosis, in which duplicated DNA in the cells’ chromosomes is distributed to two daughter cells. The chromosomes are separated with the assistance of tube-like structures known as microtubules, whose function is interfered with by taxane and vinca alkaloid drugs. Sulforaphane similarly interferes with microtubule function during mitosis, but its action is weaker than the pharmaceutical agents, lessening the potential for toxicity.



"Breast cancer, the second leading cause of cancer deaths in women, can be protected against by eating cruciferous vegetables such as cabbage and near relatives of cabbage such as broccoli and cauliflower," first author and UC Santa Barbara graduate student Olga Azarenko commented.

"These vegetables contain compounds called isothiocyanates which we believe to be responsible for the cancer-preventive and anticarcinogenic activities in these vegetables. Broccoli and broccoli sprouts have the highest amount of the isothiocyanates.”"Our paper focuses on the anticancer activity of one of these compounds, called sulforaphane, or SFN," Dr Azarenko stated. "It has already been shown to reduce the incidence and rate of chemically induced mammary tumors in animals. It inhibits the growth of cultured human breast cancer cells, leading to cell death." Continue Reading

Greater soy consumption associated with lower breast cancer risk in women

An article published in the latest issue of the journal Nutrition and Cancer (volume 60, issue 5) revealed the finding of Korean researchers of a protective effect of soy on the risk of developing breast cancer. The study’s conclusion supports that of previous research concerning soy’s effect on breast cancer risk.

Scientists at Hanyang University in Seoul, Korea compared 362 women diagnosed with breast cancer with an equal number of healthy women matched for age and menopausal status. Participants were interviewed concerning their diets, which included tofu, soybean paste, boiled soybeans and soy milk. Total soy protein intake was used as a measure of total soy food consumption.

Compared with women who did not have breast cancer, those who were diagnosed with the disease were likelier to consume more carbohydrates and less likely to drink alcohol or use multivitamin supplements. Women with breast cancer also had fewer children. High soy protein intake was associated with a reduced risk of breast cancer. Among premenopausal women whose intake of soy protein was among the top 20 percent of participants, there was a 61 percent lower adjusted risk of breast cancer compared with those in the lowest 20 percent. For postmenopausal women, the risk experienced by the highest soy protein intake group was 78 percent lower, although the dose-response relationship observed in premenopausal women was not noted in this group. When tofu consumption was separately analyzed, it emerged as protective for premenopausal women only, with those in the top fifth of tofu intake having a 77 percent lower risk of breast cancer than those in the lowest. Continue Reading

Lifestyle improvements enhance telomerase activity

An article appearing online on September 16, 2008 in The Lancet Oncology reports a pilot study conducted by Dean Ornish, MD and colleagues which found that adopting positive lifestyle changes increases the activity of telomerase, the enzyme responsible for maintaining telomeres. Telomeres are DNA-protein complexes that cap the ends of chromosomes, aiding in their stabilization.

Telomere length is associated with cellular age, and adequate telomere length is vital to maintaining cells, including immune system cells which protect the body against a number of diseases, such as cancer. Longer telomere length has been associated with increased resistance to disease and premature death in prostate, breast, lung and colorectal cancer.

The current study involved 24 patients with low-risk prostate cancer. Dr Ornish, of the Preventive Medicine Research Institute in Sausalito, and his associates at the University of California, San Francisco, conducted a three day intensive residential retreat followed by a three month comprehensive lifestyle modification program.

Participants were asked to adopt diets that limited fat to 10 percent of their calorie intake, and which contained a low amount of refined carbohydrates, abundant amounts of whole grains, fruit and vegetables, and supplemental soy protein powder, fish oil, vitamin E, selenium, and vitamin C. The subjects were also asked to engage in moderate aerobic exercise for one half hour per day and one hour stress management periods for six days per week, in addition to a one hour weekly group support session. Blood samples were analyzed for telomerase activity and other factors, and psychological distress was evaluated at the beginning of the study and at the end of the three month treatment period. Continue Reading

Daily aspirin reduces estrogen receptor positive breast cancer risk

A report published online on April 30, 2008 in the journal Breast Cancer Research concluded that the use of aspirin on a daily basis reduced the risk of estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer, which makes up 75 percent of breast cancer cases. These cancers have receptors on their surface for female hormone estrogen, which fuels the tumors’ growth.

Gretchen L. Gierach and her colleagues at the National Cancer Institute evaluated data from 127,383 women aged 51 to 72 who were enrolled in the National Institutes of Health-AARP Diet and Health Study, which examined the relationship between diet, health-related behaviors and cancer. Questionnaires completed upon enrollment between1995 and 1996 provided information on diet history, demographic characteristics and other data. A second questionnaire completed between 1996 and 1997 collected information concerning medication use, including aspirin and nonaspirin nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Breast cancer cases were identified through cancer registry information through the end of 2003. Continue Reading

Study finds high incidence of vitamin D insufficiency in breast cancer survivors

In article published in the July, 2008 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, scientists at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, the National Cancer Institute, and other research centers report a high incidence of vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency among female breast cancer survivors.

The current study utilized data from 790 participants in the multiethnic Health, Eating, Activity, and Lifestyle (HEAL) study of breast cancer patients, which sought to determine the effect of diet, hormones, and other factors on breast cancer prognosis and survival. Blood samples collected within three years following the participants’ breast cancer diagnosis were analyzed for serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels, the primary biomarker used to evaluate vitamin D status. Dietary questionnaires were used to obtain information concerning vitamin D intake levels from food and supplements. Continue Reading

Breast cancer

The following supplementation regimen is suggested. As always, consult your physician before beginning any nutritional supplementation regimen.

Dual-Action Cruciferous Vegetable Extract With Cat's Claw, 1-2 capsules per day.

Lightly caffeinated green tea extract, three 725 mg capsules, two times a day with meals. Use decaffeinated green tea extract if you are sensitive to caffeine or want to use the less-stimulating version with the evening dosage.
CLA or CLA with Guarana, 3000 to 4000 mg daily of CLA and about 300 mg of guarana, early in the day.

Melatonin, 3 to 50 mg at bedtime.
PhytoFood Powder (broccoli, cabbage, and other cruciferous vegetables that provide sulphoraphane and other cancer-fighting plant extracts), 1-2 tbsp daily.
Se-methylselenocysteine, 200 to 400 mcg daily.
CoQ10, three 100 mg softgels in divided doses. Note the caution stated in this protocol.
Super EPA/DHA w/Sesame Lignans, 8 softgels daily, in divided doses. Take with nonfiber meals.
Vitamin D3, 4000 to 6000 IU taken daily with monthly blood testing to monitor for toxicity. Reduce dosage at 6 months.
Water-soluble vitamin A, 100,000 to 300,000 IU daily with monthly blood testing to monitor for toxicity. Reduce dosage at 6 months (refer to vitamin A precautions in Appendix A). Continue Reading