Can food prevent breast cancer?

Marsha N. Woolery, Healthy Eating & Diet

Cancer may develop as a result of poor dietary practices, family history, environment, hormones, physical inactivity, weight gain, time of weight gain - whether during childhood or adulthood, sexual activity, breastfeeding practices and initial age of menstruation.

Numerous studies have shown that diet influences the development of cancer. One's diet is a combination of various nutrients and non-nutritive food items. Consuming more food than the body needs result in obesity or an excessive amount of body fat. When combined with physical inactivity this increases the chance of developing cancer of the breast, endometrium, pancreas, colon, gall bladder and kidney. Diet may affect oestrogen levels which may cause the development of cancer. Plants that contain oestrogenic substances such as soy, soy products and chick peas may either mimic or block the effect of oestrogen made by the body.

Weight gain

According to the Journal of National Cancer Institute 2005, weight gain in adulthood increases the risk of cancer but intentional weight loss of 20 pounds or more is beneficial in reducing the risk of cancer.

Rapid growth rate in childhood leads to greater height in adulthood which increases the risk of breast, prostate, colon and other types of cancers. Excess body fat in adulthoood is related to breast cancer in post-menopausal women. Consuming an increased amount of animal fat, especially from red meats and high-fat dairy products, increases one's risk of breast cancer in pre-menopausal women. It is not the percentage of energy from the fat in the diet that causes breast cancer but the specific make up of the fat found in high-fat dairy products and red meat.

Alcoholic drinks & carbs

Daily consumption of one to two drinks of alcoholic beverages such as four to eight ounces of wine, half to one pint of beer, one to two ounces of distilled rum or vodka increases the risk of breast and colon cancer. The risk of breast and other types of cancer increases with the consumption of refined carbohydrates-rich foods such as white flour, white rice and refined cornmeal. The high glycaemic load or how these foods rapidly increase the sugar in the blood causes a problem with the usage of sugar and insulin and especially in the obese person. This increases the risk of cancer development.

Eat yams, whole wheat

Meals lacking in folate increases the risk of breast, cervical and colorectal cancers. The risk of developing breast cancer can be lowered by: maintaining a healthy weight from childhood to adulthood with a body mass index between 18.5 and 24.9 or as close to 25 as possible. Physical activity should be increased by exercising for at least 30 minutes every day to get rid of extra body fat and for relaxation. More unrefined carbohydrate-rich foods should be consumed such as whole wheat products, yams and potatoes on a daily basis.

Eat less meat, chicken

Less meat, chicken and animal products should be consumed and more peas, beans and nuts should be a part of daily intake. The intake of fruits and vegetables should be increased because these food groups have many nutrients such as vitamins, fibre and carbohydrates and non-nutritive substances like antioxidants, that protect the cells by reducing the amount of free radicals that could damage the DNA.

Eat fruits and vegetables that are dark green and yellow and cruciferous vegetables such as cabbage, lettuce, pak choi and broccoli. Allium found in onions, garlic and scallion is also recommended on a daily basis.

Marsha N. Woolery is a registered dietitian/nutritionist in private practice and adjunct lecturer at Northern Caribbean University; email: yourhealth@gleanerjm.com.

Some breast cancer facts

The number of people being diagnosed with breast cancer is increasing, but the good news is survival rates are improving. This is probably because of more targeted treatments, earlier detection and better breast awareness.

The biggest risk factor, after gender, is increasing age - 80 per cent of breast cancers occur in women over the age of 50.

Breast cancer also affects men, but it's rare - around 300 men are diagnosed each year.

Breast cancer is not one single disease there are several types of breast cancer.

Not all breast cancers show as a lump, and not all breast lumps are breast cancer.

Less than 10 per cent of breast cancer runs in families, so having someone in your family with breast cancer doesn't necessarily mean your own risk is increased.

Source: Breast Cancer Care, UK, breastcancercare.org.uk