In the wake of Angelina’s Jolie’s decision
to undergo a double mastectomy to radically reduce her chances of developing
breast cancer, many of you are probably wondering what you would do if faced
with the same decision. The first step in determining your risk is to look at
your family history, the more relatives you have with breast cancer or ovarian
cancer (especially if they were pre-menopausal), the higher the risk for you.
If you have a strong family history your doctor may suggest early screening
such as genetic testing (to detect whether you have the BRCA-1 or BRCA-2 gene
mutation), mammograms, ultrasounds and biopsies (when necessary).
Even if you don’t have a strong family
history, there are other factors that contribute to your overall risk including
being overweight, never having any children, smoking, drinking alcohol, poor
nutrition, excess stress, exposure to xenoestrogens (from plastics, for
example) and other chemicals in the environment, taking the birth control pill,
insulin regulation issues, and chronic health conditions that increase overall
inflammation in the body.
Luckily, there are number of items on the
“risk-list” that are in your control. While you may not be able to change your
genetic make-up, you certainly can take your nutrition and lifestyle into your
own hands to make positive changes in your life.
Nutrition plays an important role in
preventing disease. If you consume the standard North American diet, you likely
have chronic inflammation from a high intake of sugar and fat. My checklist for
healthy eating is to eat mostly plant based foods, with lean protein and
organic where possible. In fact, a study was done comparing the risks of female
farmers on non-organic vs organic farms and those with working in the
non-organic setting had a far higher risk of breast cancer than those women
working on organic farms. While we as consumers don’t have that same initial
exposure to farm chemicals, we still have to question the exposure we may be
getting through the food. Organic food has also been shown to contain higher
amounts of cancer fighting nutrients including anti-oxidants.
Another important nutrtitional
consideration is consuming foods from the brassica family of vegetables. This
includes cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussel sprouts, kale and collards.
These contain high amounts of indole-3-carbinole, a molecule that has been
shown to prevent breast cancer. If
you do not like eating these vegetables, it is available in supplement form.
You also should consider reviewing your
intake of fats. Focus on high quality fats rich in omega 3 and 9 fatty acids
like fish, flax seed, avocadoes, and raw olive oil. It is important not to heat
your olive oil on high heat as it will destroy the helpful omega 9 fatty acids.
Instead, use it as a base for salad dressings and opt for coconut or grape seed
oil for your stir-frying. Ditch the mayonnaise and margarine as these are high
in omega 6 oils, which can be very inflammatory.
You might notice that by switching to a
plant-based diet you may start to lose some weight, which is an important
factor in reducing your risk. Women who have a body mass index of over 28 and
are post-menopausal, increase their risk by over 100%! So it is imperative that
you start a healthy diet and exercise routine sooner than later if you find
yourself in this category.
Stress is another underappreciated cause of
disease in our society. Many people underestimate the amount of stress they
have in their lives and the role in plays in disease. I would say that, on
average, 80% of my patients acknowledge that they are stressed and the other
20% are in denial. Stress has a direct causal relationship with inflammation.
Inflammation in turn leads to ideal conditions for disease (including cancer)
to flourish. When working with an ND, stress always comes up and is a priority
when talking about prevention. Too much stress hormones (like cortisol) make it
hard for your body to balance your hormones appropriately, leading to excess
estrogen in your body. Too much estrogen is one of the main reasons women get
symptoms of PMS, cystic breast disease and cancer. Stress is an epidemic we can
no longer ignore for this very reason.
Another easy thing for you to do is to
overhaul your personal care products. Avoid products that contain parabens and
BPA as these chemicals are known carcinogens. Read your labels and use
resources like Adria Vasil’s EcoHolic Body blog for a check-list of chemicals
to avoid in your home and beauty products.
The thought of getting breast cancer
terrifies most of us, and the idea of having to make a choice between a radical
proceedure and developing a deadly disease is an unfathomable one. For many of
my patients, close friends and relatives, this has served as a wake up call to
jump into action and take charge of their health. Anything we can do to prevent
our risks for developing breast cancer seems like a no brainer, especially if
it prevents us from having to deal with the scary alternative.
Dr Nicole Basque, Naturopathic
Doctor, practices at Sequoia located at 114 Highfield St in Moncton (ph:
382.1560). She teaches breast cancer prevention courses at the Canadian College
of Natural Nutrition and offers periodic seminars on women’s health. Fluent in
French and English, Dr. Basque practices family medicine and is currently accepting
new patients. Call for an appointment today or book your appointment online at www.drbasque.com. You can also follow her on Twitter and
Facebook.
