Soy Foods, Pumpkin Seeds and Sunflower Seeds Reduce Breast Cancer Risk
July 29, 2012 by Robert Wascher
Filed under A Cancer Prevention Guide for the Human Race, Breast Cancer, breast cancer prevention, breast cancer risk, Cancer, Cancer Prevention, cancer risk, diet, estrogen, Flaxseed, Healthy Diet, lifestyle, Menopause, Nutrition, Phytoestrogens, polyphenols, Pumpkin Seeds, Raloxifine, sex hormones, Soy, Soy Foods, Sunflower Seeds, tamoxifen, Weekly Health Update, whole grains
A new study links the consumption of soy foods, pumpkins seeds, and sunflower seeds with a decreased risk of breast cancer.
SOY FOODS, PUMPKIN SEEDS AND SUNFLOWER SEEDS REDUCE BREAST CANCER RISK As I discuss in my bestselling book, A Cancer Prevention Guide for the Human Race, phytoestrogens are substances found in plant-based foods that have weak estrogen-like effects in the body. As estrogen is a known risk factor for breast cancer, there has been understandable concern that phytoestrogens, if consumed regularly, may lead to an increased risk of breast cancer over time. While the data supporting this hypothesis has been both weak and contradictory thus far, some of the strongest available data regarding phytoestrogen intake and breast cancer risk has, counterintuitively, linked certain phytoestrogen-rich foods, and especially soy foods like tofu, with a decreased lifetime risk of breast cancer, particularly when consumed before and during the onset of puberty, as I discuss in my book. Now, a newly published German study further suggests that the regular consumption of at least some phytoestrogen-rich foods may significantly decrease breast cancer risk, particularly later in life, after menopause. In this public health study, 2,884 postmenopausal women diagnosed with breast cancer and 5,509 age-matched “controls” without breast cancer underwent detailed assessments of their dietary habits. In addition to using a scientifically validated food-frequency questionnaire, additional specific questions regarding the consumption of phytoestrogen-rich foods were asked of all of the 8,393 women who participated in this case-control clinical study. Importantly, the volunteers’ individual risk factors for breast cancer were assessed and accounted for when the study’s researchers analyzed their data. This public health study appears in the current issue of the journal Nutrition and Cancer. Among all foods known to contain phytoestrogens, three foods were found to be significantly associated with a lower risk of breast cancer among postmenopausal women. Specifically, the regular consumption of soy foods was linked to a 17 percent reduction in breast cancer risk, while the routine intake of sunflower and pumpkin seeds was associated with a 34 percent reduction in breast cancer risk. At the same time, the consumption of flaxseed, which contains very high levels of phytoestrogens, did not appear to be linked with a decrease in breast cancer risk in this study. The results of this study add further evidence that at least some forms of phytoestrogens may actually decrease the risk of breast cancer, even though they are able to weakly stimulate the same hormonal receptors that estrogen normally stimulates. While this finding may at first seem contradictory, recent research has shown that these plant-derived nutritional substances actually have rather complex effects on estrogen receptors within breast cells and other hormone-sensitive cells. In fact, in many cases, phytoestrogens may actually block the effects of estrogen on estrogen receptors within breast cells, thus acting more like medications that are regularly used to reduce the risk of breast cancer recurrence in patients with estrogen-sensitive tumors, including tamoxifen and raloxifene. I will end my review of this new public health study by reminding readers that studies such as this one rely upon relatively weak research methods, and the findings of these types of public health studies are less compelling, in general, than “gold standard” prospective, randomized, blinded, placebo-controlled clinical research studies. Unfortunately, the overwhelming majority of cancer prevention research data published to date has been derived from relatively less powerful public health studies like this particular study. However, given the enormous expense and resources necessary to perform large prospective, randomized, blinded, placebo-controlled clinical studies, and the extended period of time that is required to arrive at meaningful observations within such studies, we are left primarily with questionnaire-based public health studies such as this one in an effort to better understand potential links between diet and cancer risk. For a much more detailed evidence-based discussion of the impact of diet and other lifestyle factors on cancer risk, purchase your copy of A Cancer Prevention Guide for the Human Race from your favorite bookstore (available in both print and e-book formats). At this time, more than 8 percent of Americans are unemployed. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, however, the unemployment rate for veterans who served on active duty between September 2001 and December 2011 is now more than 12 percent. A new website, Veterans in Healthcare, seeks to connect veterans with potential employers. If you are a veteran who works in the healthcare field, or if you are an employer who is looking for physicians, advanced practice professionals, nurses, corpsmen/medics, or other healthcare professionals, then please take a look at Veterans in Healthcare. As a retired veteran of the U.S. Army, I would also like to personally urge you to hire a veteran whenever possible.
For a groundbreaking overview of cancer risks, and evidence-based strategies to reduce your risk of developing cancer, order your copy of my bestselling book, “A Cancer Prevention Guide for the Human Race,” from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, Vroman’s Bookstore, and other fine bookstores! Within one week of publication, A Cancer Prevention Guide for the Human Race was ranked #6 among all cancer-related books on the Amazon.com “Top 100 Bestseller’s List” for Kindle e-books. Within three months of publication, A Cancer Prevention Guide for the Human Race was the #1 book on the Amazon.com “Top 100 New Book Releases in Cancer” list. Disclaimer: As always, my advice to readers is to seek the advice of your physician before making any significant changes in medications, diet, or level of physical activity
Dr. Wascher is an oncologic surgeon, professor of surgery, cancer researcher, oncology consultant, and a widely published author
I and the staff of Weekly Health Update would again like to take this opportunity to thank the more than 100,000 health-conscious people from around the world who visit this premier global health information website every month. (More than 1.3 million pages of high-quality medical research findings were served to the worldwide audience of health-conscious people who visited Weekly Health Update in 2011!) As always, we enjoy receiving your stimulating feedback and questions, and I will continue to try and personally answer as many of your inquiries as I possibly can.
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Obesity, Diet, Exercise, Estrogen, Testosterone and Breast Cancer Risk
July 1, 2012 by Robert Wascher
Filed under A Cancer Prevention Guide for the Human Race, Breast Cancer, breast cancer prevention, breast cancer risk, Cancer, Cancer Prevention, cancer risk, diet, estrogen, fat, lifestyle, Menopause, obesity, Overweight, risk, sex hormones, testosterone, Weekly Health Update
New research confirms suspected links between obesity, estrogen and testosterone levels, and exercise on breast cancer risk.
OBESITY, DIET, EXERCISE, ESTROGEN, TESTOSTERONE AND BREAST CANCER RISK Last week, I discussed new research linking even relatively modest levels of regular physical activity with a reduced risk of developing breast cancer (Even Modest Levels of Physical Activity Decrease Breast Cancer Risk). This week, I will present a newly published clinical research study that may help to explain the well known links between obesity, weight loss, and breast cancer risk. This new research study appears in the current issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology. There is ample evidence that obesity is, by itself, a risk factor for breast cancer, and that the loss of excess weight can reduce obesity-associated breast cancer risk. Similarly, a woman’s lifetime level of exposure to the female sex hormone estrogen (as well as to testosterone) has also been linked to breast cancer risk. After menopause, the ovaries no longer produce estrogen. However, fat cells continue to produce estrogen (and to metabolize testosterone into estrogen), and the link between obesity and breast cancer has, therefore, been presumed to be due to increased estrogen production from fat cells in the bodies of overweight and obese women. Based upon the findings of this new clinical study, the presumed biological mechanism whereby loss of excess weight reduces breast cancer risk appears to have been confirmed. In this prospective, randomized, controlled clinical study, obese, sedentary postmenopausal women (ages 50 to 75 years) were randomized into one of four different groups. The first group was placed on a reduced calorie diet. The second group engaged in a supervised moderate-to-vigorous aerobic exercise program. The third group underwent both dieting and a supervised exercise program. Finally, the fourth group of women served as a “control” group, and these women did not engage in either dieting or exercise. Blood levels of estrogen and testosterone were measured in all of these women at the beginning and end of this 12-month study. Compared with the women in the “control” group, estrogen levels decreased by 16 percent with dieting alone, by 5 percent with exercise alone, and by more than 20 percent when dieting was combined with moderate-to-vigorous exercise. Similarly, testosterone levels declined by 10 percent with dieting alone, and by almost 16 percent when dieting was combined with exercise. Moreover, greater levels of weight loss were associated with greater decreases in estrogen and testosterone levels. The findings of this innovative clinical research study lend considerable weight to the longstanding theory that obesity increases breast cancer risk by raising estrogen and testosterone levels in postmenopausal women, while the loss of excess weight decreases breast cancer risk due to reductions in obesity-related elevated levels of estrogen and testosterone. While there are, doubtless, other biological mechanisms involved, this clinical study adds considerable weight to the data that I discuss in my bestselling book, A Cancer Prevention Guide for the Human Race, linking diet, obesity and exercise (along with other modifiable lifestyle factors) to breast cancer risk. As our society becomes progressively more obese and sedentary, the incidence of cancer and other serious obesity-related diseases is expected to continue to climb. If you are significantly overweight, or if you lead a “couch potato” lifestyle, then please meet with your doctor and a personal trainer, and get started on a sensible diet program (as I describe in my book) and exercise program. At this time, more than 8 percent of Americans are unemployed. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, however, the unemployment rate for veterans who served on active duty between September 2001 and December 2011 is now more than 12 percent. A new website, Veterans in Healthcare, seeks to connect veterans with potential employers. If you are a veteran who works in the healthcare field, or if you are an employer who is looking for physicians, advanced practice professionals, nurses, corpsmen/medics, or other healthcare professionals, then please take a look at Veterans in Healthcare. As a retired veteran of the U.S. Army, I urge you to hire a veteran whenever possible. For a groundbreaking overview of cancer risks, and evidence-based strategies to reduce your risk of developing cancer, order your copy of my bestselling book, “A Cancer Prevention Guide for the Human Race,” from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, Vroman’s Bookstore, and other fine bookstores! Within one week of publication, A Cancer Prevention Guide for the Human Race was ranked #6 among all cancer-related books on the Amazon.com “Top 100 Bestseller’s List” for Kindle e-books. Within three months of publication, A Cancer Prevention Guide for the Human Race was the #1 book on the Amazon.com “Top 100 New Book Releases in Cancer” list. Disclaimer: As always, my advice to readers is to seek the advice of your physician before making any significant changes in medications, diet, or level of physical activity
Dr. Wascher is an oncologic surgeon, professor of surgery, cancer researcher, oncology consultant, and a widely published author
I and the staff of Weekly Health Update would again like to take this opportunity to thank the more than 100,000 health-conscious people from around the world who visit this premier global health information website every month. (More than 1.3 million pages of high-quality medical research findings were served to the worldwide audience of health-conscious people who visited Weekly Health Update in 2011!) As always, we enjoy receiving your stimulating feedback and questions, and I will continue to try and personally answer as many of your inquiries as I possibly can.
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Green Tea Reduces Cholesterol, Blood Sugar and Insulin Levels
May 6, 2012 by Robert Wascher
Filed under A Cancer Prevention Guide for the Human Race, breast cancer prevention, Cancer, Cancer Prevention, cardiovascular disease, Catechins, cholesterol, coronary artery disease, diabetes, Epigallocatechin Gallate, estrogen, Glucose, green tea, heart disease, hyperglycemia, Insulin, LDL, Metabolic Syndrome, polyphenols, sex hormones, Tea, testosterone, Weekly Health Update
New research finds that green tea may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
GREEN TEA REDUCES CHOLESTEROL, BLOOD SUGAR AND INSULIN LEVELS As I discuss in my bestselling book, A Cancer Prevention Guide for the Human Race, the evidence for green tea as a cancer prevention agent is quite mixed, with most (but not all) studies showing little impact on cancer risk or cancer-associated death rates. Some research studies, however, have suggested that green tea may affect levels of the female sex hormone estrogen in ways that could potentially reduce the risk of developing breast cancer. However, most of the research in this area has not been in the form of prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blinded clinical research, which is considered the “gold standard” method of conducting clinical research. A newly published prospective, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical trial evaluated 103 postmenopausal women, and their response to green tea supplements. This study appears in the current issue of the journal Cancer Prevention Research. In this study, the women volunteers were randomly divided into three groups. One group received 400 milligrams (mg) of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) per day, for two months. (EGCG is considered the most active ingredient in green tea.) The second group of women received 800 mg of EGCG per day, also for two months. The third group, which served as this study’s control group, received placebo (sugar) capsules that appeared identical to the EGCG capsules. Neither the female volunteers nor the study nurses who dispensed the capsules to these study volunteers knew which group each woman had been randomized into. Repeated measurements of urine levels of EGCG were performed, and blood levels of estrogen, testosterone (the primary male sex hormone), cholesterol, glucose (blood sugar), insulin, and growth factors were tested on all of the 103 study volunteers throughout the course of this study. The results of this innovative study revealed that green tea supplements had no apparent effect on the levels of estrogen and testosterone in the blood of these postmenopausal research volunteers, which suggests that any potential breast cancer prevention effects associated with EGCG are probably unrelated to sex hormone levels. However, while EGCG had no apparent impact on sex hormone levels, LDL-cholesterol (the “bad cholesterol”) levels significantly decreased among the women who were secretly randomized to receive EGCG supplements. Additionally, blood levels of glucose and insulin, which are linked to diabetes risk, also significantly declined in the two groups of women who received EGCG supplements. (Diabetes, itself, is a powerful risk factor for developing cancer.) While green tea supplementation had no discernible effect on the levels of male and female sex hormones in the blood of the postmenopausal women participating in this study, EGCG supplementation was observed to significantly reduce LDL-cholesterol, glucose, and insulin levels in these women. Therefore, while the impact of green tea on breast cancer risk remains unclear at this time, the results of this clinical research study suggest a potential clinical role for green tea in the prevention of cardiovascular disease and diabetes, which are, like cancer, two of the great killers of modern humans. For a groundbreaking overview of cancer risks, and evidence-based strategies to reduce your risk of developing cancer, order your copy of my bestselling book, “A Cancer Prevention Guide for the Human Race,” from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, Vroman’s Bookstore, and other fine bookstores! Within one week of publication, A Cancer Prevention Guide for the Human Race was ranked #6 among all cancer-related books on the Amazon.com “Top 100 Bestseller’s List” for Kindle e-books. Within three months of publication, A Cancer Prevention Guide for the Human Race was the #1 book on the Amazon.com “Top 100 New Book Releases in Cancer” list. Disclaimer: As always, my advice to readers is to seek the advice of your physician before making any significant changes in medications, diet, or level of physical activity Dr. Wascher is an oncologic surgeon, professor of surgery, cancer researcher, oncology consultant, and a widely published author I and the staff of Weekly Health Update would again like to take this opportunity to thank the more than 100,000 health-conscious people from around the world who visit this premier global health information website every month. (More than 1.3 million pages of high-quality medical research findings were served to the worldwide audience of health-conscious people who visited Weekly Health Update in 2011!) As always, we enjoy receiving your stimulating feedback and questions, and I will continue to try and personally answer as many of your inquiries as I possibly can.
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Clonidine and the Antidepressant Effexor Both Reduce Hot Flashes
October 9, 2011 by Robert Wascher
Filed under Antidepressant, Breast Cancer, breast cancer prevention, breast cancer risk, Cancer, Cancer Prevention, Clonidine, Effexor, estrogen, Hormonal Therapy, Hot Flashes, Menopausal Symptoms, Menopause, sex hormones, SNRI, SSRI, tamoxifen, Venlafaxine, Weekly Health Update
Welcome to Weekly Health Update
The blood pressure medication clonidine and the antidepressant venlafaxine (Effexor) both reduce hot flashes caused by breast cancer treatment and by menopause. CLONIDINE AND THE ANTIDEPRESSANT EFFEXOR BOTH REDUCE HOT FLASHES
The modern management of breast cancer often includes “hormonal therapy,” in which medications that block the effects of estrogen, or decrease the amount of estrogen manufactured by the body, are used to reduce the risk of breast cancer recurrence. Despite significantly lowering the risk of breast cancer recurrence in patients with estrogen-sensitive breast tumors, recent clinical research studies have shown that fewer than one-half of all breast cancer patients actually go on to complete the recommended 5-year course of hormonal therapy. (This very poor level of compliance with a medical therapy proven to lower recurrence and death rates associated with breast cancer is particularly an issue among younger women.) While there are several reasons why more than half of all breast cancer patients do not complete their recommended course of hormonal therapy, one of the major causes, and especially among younger patients, is that these medications are commonly associated with significant side effects, including the same hot flashes that frequently accompany menopause. Numerous treatment interventions have been tried in an effort prevent hot flashes associated with breast cancer therapy (as well as hot flashes in postmenopausal women without breast cancer), but very few of these therapies have been shown to have any clinically significant benefit. However, several previous clinical studies have suggested that certain types of antidepressant medications, as well as the blood pressure medication clonidine, may reduce the severity and frequency of hot flashes. Unfortunately, much of the research in this area has been of rather low quality, and so the findings of these lower level studies have not radically changed the way that most physicians have managed their patients’ hot flashes. Now, a newly published prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled, blinded clinical research study, which appears in the current issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology, strongly suggests that venlafaxine (also known by its trade name, Effexor®), a medication that is part of the new “serotonin–norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors” (SNRIs) class of antidepressants, and clonidine may both be effective in decreasing the severity and frequency of hot flashes in women with a history of breast cancer. In this study, 102 women with a history of both breast cancer and severe hot flashes were secretly and randomly assigned to take either venlafaxine (75 mg per day), clonidine (0.1 mg per day), or an identical-appearing placebo (sugar) pill. Following 12 weeks of observation, 80 patients remained in this clinical study. At the end of this 12-week clinical study, both clonidine and venlafaxine were found to significantly decrease the severity and frequency of hot flashes, when compared to placebo pills. Although both medications were clinically effective in reducing hot flashes, and although venlafaxine resulted in a more rapid reduction in hot flashes than clonidine, clonidine was associated with a greater overall improvement in hot flashes, when compared to venlafaxine, after 12 weeks of treatment. (Venlafaxine was also associated with a greater incidence of nausea, constipation, and appetite loss, compared to clonidine.) The findings of this study add to those of prior studies that have shown a 15 to 25% reduction in the severity and frequency of hot flashes with antidepressants such as venlafaxine, and with clonidine. Moreover, prior studies have shown that these two medications reduce the severity and frequency of hot flashes in women with a history of breast cancer as well as in postmenopausal women without a prior history of breast cancer. One important limitation of this study is its small size, and its high patient drop-out rate, which resulted in small numbers of patient volunteers in each of the three “arms” of this prospective, randomized, blinded, placebo-controlled study. However, the findings of this small clinical research study, nonetheless, are still consistent with those of previously published studies; and taken together, these studies suggest that venlafaxine (and other modern antidepressant medications) and clonidine may be effective in reducing the severity and frequency of hot flashes in both breast cancer patients who are undergoing hormonal therapy for their cancer and in postmenopausal women with menopause-associated hot flashes.
For a comprehensive guide to living an evidence-based cancer prevention lifestyle, order your copy of my new book, A Cancer Prevention Guide for the Human Race. For the price of a cheeseburger, fries, and a shake, you can purchase this landmark new book, in both paperback and e-book formats, and begin living an evidence-based cancer prevention lifestyle today! For a groundbreaking overview of cancer risks, and evidence-based strategies to reduce your risk of developing cancer, order your copy of my new book, “A Cancer Prevention Guide for the Human Race,” from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million,Vroman’s Bookstore, and other fine bookstores! On Thanksgiving Day, 2010, A Cancer Prevention Guide for the Human Race was ranked #6 among all cancer-related books on the Amazon.com “Top 100 Bestseller’s List” for Kindle e-books! On Christmas Day, 2010, A Cancer Prevention Guide for the Human Race was the #1 book on the Amazon.com “Top 100 New Book Releases in Cancer” list! Disclaimer: As always, my advice to readers is to seek the advice of your physician before making any significant changes in medications, diet, or level of physical activity Dr. Wascher is an oncologic surgeon, professor of surgery, cancer researcher, oncology consultant, and a widely published author For a different perspective on Dr. Wascher, please click on the following YouTube link: I and the staff of Weekly Health Update would again like to take this opportunity to thank the more than 100,000 health-conscious people, from around the world, who visit this premier global health information website every month. (More than 1.2 million health-conscious people visited Weekly Health Update in 2010!) As always, we enjoy receiving your stimulating feedback and questions, and I will continue to try and personally answer as many of your inquiries as I possibly can.
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Obesity, Alcohol, Smoking and Breast Cancer Risk
July 25, 2011 by Robert Wascher
Filed under alcohol, Breast Cancer, breast cancer prevention, breast cancer risk, Cancer, Cancer Prevention, diet, estrogen, exercise, health, Nutrition, obesity, sex hormones, smoking, testosterone, tobacco, Weekly Health Update, Weight Loss
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