Breast cancer is the second most common cancer among women and also the second leading cause of cancer death in women. Thankfully the death rates have been gradually declining, most likely due to better screening and possibly better treatments. However, the incidence rates of breast cancer have been increasing. This means our reactive healthcare when it comes to breast cancer is doing a decent job, but our proactive healthcare needs some work. This means putting more emphasis on addressing the root causes of breast cancer. Unfortunately, there is no single answer as to what causes breast cancer and there is still a lot to be learned, but researchers believe that Estrogen Dominance is a very likely culprit in many cases of breast cancer and other hormone-driven cancers like cervical, ovarian, uterine, vaginal, and vulvar. This is because estrogen promotes cellular growth in the breast and reproductive organ tissues and cancer is a disorder of unrestrained cellular growth.
Estrogen dominance is one of the most common hormone imbalance problems for women. This imbalance can lead to many issues because estrogen has hundreds of functions in our body. Estrogen is involved in so much more than just our fertility. It has roles in bone formation and bone health, brain function, gut health and more.
Dietary Recommendations
Fill up with Fibre
One of the most basic yet powerful things you can do to help balance your hormones, be proactive about breast cancer, and support yourself during the big fight is making sure you are getting enough fibre. This is because fibre helps keep toxins and estrogen-like products in your gut out of your bloodstream. As long as you are getting enough water along with fibre, it also helps with constipation. Constipation is something that can lead to excess estrogen because the longer your waste sits there, the more time your “not so friendly” bacteria and pathogens have to de-conjugate estrogen that has already been detoxified by the body. So all the hard work your liver did binding and detoxifying estrogen gets undone just for it to be reabsorbed back into your body. A vicious cycle.
Cruciferous Vegetables, Dark Leafy Greens, and Apples Oh My!
These are some of the helpful compounds in foods to focus on.
Calcium D-Glucarate
Calcium D-Glucarate is found in grapefruit, apples, oranges, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts. Scientists are discovering that it appears to protect against cancer and other diseases because it inhibits the beta-glucuronidase enzyme. This allows glucuronidation to take place, a detoxification process that occurs when toxins or carcinogens are combined with water-soluble substances, making them more easily removed from the body.
Indole-3-carbinol (I-3C)
Indole-3-carbinol (I-3C) is a phytochemical that helps to balance hormones and fight breast cancer. Foods high in this are broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, kale, dark leafy greens, and apples. Our body can break down estrogen into either 16-alpha-hydroxyestrone (promotes the growth of breast tumors) or 2-hydroxyestrone (does not stimulate breast cancer cells). Increasing your intake of I-3C, for example 500mg of broccoli per day, improves the ratio of good to bad estrogen breakdown products. Broccoli sprouts is an even better option as the concentration of I-C3 is much higher. 1lb of broccoli sprouts is equivalent to 40lb of broccoli for nutrients.
Sulphoraphane
Sulphoraphane has been shown to stimulate the body’s production of detoxification enzymes that help eliminate xenoestrogens. This, along with it being a powerful antioxidant, can help to balance hormones and help support the fight against breast cancer. Sulphoraphane is found in all cruciferous vegetables.
Flaxseed is what we need!
Flaxseed is great at helping to balance hormones and can offer significant protection against breast cancer. This is because it is rich in the short-chain omega-3 fatty acid alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). Studies have shown that breast cancer patients generally have lower ALA levels. One study, with 121 women that initially had localized breast cancer, showed that low levels of ALA was associated with the cancer spreading into the armpit lymph nodes and tumor invasiveness. This is an important finding as it is the spread of breast cancer that can lead to death.
Try supplementing with 1 Tbsp flaxseed oil (approximately 58% ALA) daily. Flaxseed oil can also be used for salad dressing and other meal options, but it is not recommended to heat it as it can denature the oil. Flaxseed is also a great source of lignans, phytoestrogens that can help interfere with the cancer-promoting effects of estrogen.
Lignans and other phytoestrogens also increase the sex hormone binding compound globulin, which can help escort excess estrogen out of the body. Other good sources of lignans include: seeds, whole grains, berries, fruits, vegetables (especially broccoli and sprouts), and nuts.
In one study, 50 women recently diagnosed with breast cancer were divided into two groups. One group was given a muffin with 2 tbsp of ground flaxseed each day and the other group was given a regular muffin each day. When the tumors were removed a month later, the women who were eating the flaxseed muffins had slower growing tumors compared to the placebo group.
Tip: In some cases of breast cancer soy can help decrease growth of breast cancer cells, but in other cases it has been found to increase it. If you are in the big fight, it may be best to limit or avoid soy. Another thing to avoid unless you are extremely anemic would be iron supplementation as it can feed pathogens and tumors.
These dietary recommendations are just the tip of the iceberg, but can help make a difference. There are plenty of other foods to include for their benefits (and some to avoid for their risk) as well as supplements to help balance hormones and support the fight against breast cancer.
Did you know you can actually have low estrogen and still have Estrogen Dominance?
Signs and symptoms of Estrogen Dominance include:
“My period cramps are so awful I want to cut out my uterus”
“I’m so bloated I can’t see my feet”
“On a scale of between a rock and a hard place, my sex drive leans more toward the rock”
“My acne is so persistent it’s going to end up having a real estate war with wrinkles”
And more…
If you are looking to kick that Estrogen Dominance to the curb, then check out my Healthy Hormones program:
