Written by Edwina Green, Corporate Nutritionist
Wear it Pink is the charity Breast Cancer Care annual October campaign to raise Breast Cancer Awareness. Thanks to the work of researchers, charities and oncologists the survival rates for breast cancer are some of the best for cancer in the country, with 2/3 of women surviving for 20 years or more [1]. Nevertheless, statistics show that 150 new cases of breast cancer are diagnosed every day and Cancer Research UK cites oestrogen exposure as the main potentially avoidable risk factor for breast cancer [1]. The good news is that there are a number of nutritional, lifestyle, and natural ways to reduce breast cancer risk.
There are three sources of oestrogen:
- Endogenous oestrogen: oestrogen naturally produced by our body that plays a vital role in reproduction, bone growth and blood clotting,
- Phytoestrogens: compounds, produced by plants, which are molecularly similar to oestrogen and have the ability to bind to oestrogen receptor sites in human cells, but are less potent than endogenous estrogen.
- Xenoestrogens: are man-made molecules which also mimic the action of oestrogen, but are categorised as endocrine disruptors because our bodies are unable to excrete them efficiently.
Our bodies will work to try and keep the overall pool of oestrogen at healthy levels, but when it can no longer achieve this, we (male and female) can experience ill health and in some cases this can lead to hormonal cancers, including breast cancer. So here are four natural ways to reduce breast cancer risk you can take on a daily basis to help your body to maintain a healthy balance of oestrogen:
Include a portion of cruciferous vegetables:
Epidemiological studies have drawn associations between consumption of cruciferous vegetables and natural ways to reduce breast cancer risk. [2]. Cruciferous vegetables or brassicas include cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, Brussel sprouts, kohlrabi, bok choy, kale and watercress.
They are rich in zinc, vitamins A, B, C, D and E and contain a compound called Indole-3-Carbinol (I3C) which the body breaks down to 3,3-Diindolylmethane, or DIM. DIM has been shown in animal and in vitro studies to enable the body to detoxify oestrogen through pathways which lead to the formation of molecules which are less likely to be carcinogenic [3].
Green tea contains a polyphenol compound called Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) which is undergoing extensive research to understand and harness its anti-cancer effects. However, a small scale intervention study of Japanese American women found that intake of green tea may modify estrogen metabolism and as a consequence could reduce the risk of breast cancer [4]. The benefit was seen most strongly in post-menopausal women who consumed at least one cup of green tea a day.
Flaxseed is rich in lignans, a type of phytoestrogen, and alpha-linolenic acid, a precursor to the anti-inflammatory omega 3 essential fatty acids: DHA and EPA. A control study of nearly 6,369 Canadian women found a significant association between the consumption of flaxseed and natural ways to reduce breast cancer risk [5].
Flaxseeds are high in fibre so if you are not used to them introduce them slowly and build up to a tablespoon a day. Milled flaxseed is a good way to start and can be stirred into porridge in the morning or add them to overnight oats or Bircher muesli. Alternatively, whole flaxseeds can be sprinkled on salads for added crunch or look out for flaxseed crackers.
Two simple changes will allow you to support your natural sleep/wake cycle and the production of melatonin you need to sleep but also switch off melatonin production when you no longer need it:
- The blue light emitted by LED back lit computers, iPads, mobile phones and plasma TVs has been shown to significantly inhibit melatonin production [8] Therefore, switching off these electronics at least half an hour before going to bed can enable our sleep cycle.
- Conversely, by greeting the day and taking in the sunlight in the morning, we engage our waking cycle and switch off melatonin production, initiating our wake cycle.
Parkin, D.R. et al., 2008. Inhibitory effects of a dietary phytochemical 3,3’-diindolylmethane on the phenobarbital-induced hepatic CYP mRNA expression and CYP-catalyzed reactions in female rats. Food and chemical toxicology: an international journal published for the British Industrial Biological Research Association, 46(7), pp.2451–8.
[4] Fuhrman BJ, Pfeiffer RM, Wu AH, Xu X, Keefer LK, Veenstra TD, Ziegler RG.. (2013). Green tea intake is associated with urinary estrogen profiles in Japanese-American women. Nutrition Journal. 12 (25), Published online 2013 Feb 15. [5] Lowcock EC, Cotterchio M, Boucher BA. (2013). Consumption of flaxseed, a rich source of lignans, is associated with reduced breast cancer risk. Cancer Causes Control. 24 (4), p.813-6. [6] Liu, T, Zhang, C, Liu, C (2016). The incidence of breast cancer among female flight attendants: an updated meta-analysis. Breast Cancer Research. 23 (6) [7] Hill, S. M., Belancio, V. P., Dauchy, R. T., Xiang, S., Brimer, S., Mao, L., Blask, D. E. (2015). Melatonin: an Inhibitor of Breast Cancer. Endocrine-Related Cancer, 22(3) [8] W. Sroykham and Y. Wongsawat, “Effects of LED-backlit computer screen and emotional selfregulation on human melatonin production,” 2013 35th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBC), Osaka, 2013, pp. 1704-1707.
