Protect Against Breast Cancer Risk Factors With Flax Seeds

Celeste M. Smucker, MPH, PhD (NaturalNews) 

In the United States 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer during her lifetime, and 1 in 3 of them will die from the disease. In 2011, there were 2.6 million breast cancer survivors coping with this diagnosis which is both personally devastating and financially expensive. At a national level, the annual cost for treatment alone is close to $14 billion. While the standard remedies of radiation, chemotherapy and surgery are well known, there are effective natural approaches for prevention and treatment which can have a significant impact on the disease. One of these is flax seeds which are the richest source of plant based omega-3 fatty acids and are high in lignans and fiber all of which help reduce breast cancer risk. According to breast cancer specialist Christine Horner, MD, in her book Waking the Warrior Goddess, "If you were given only one choice of a food to take as medicine, your best choice would be the tiny seed from the flax plant."


Omega-3 fatty acids
As a significant source of omega-3 fatty acids, flax seeds help reduce breast cancer risk by ameliorating inflammation and reducing the rate at which breast cells divide in response to estrogen. The power of omega-3s was demonstrated in a recent study at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle in which the researchers questioned 35,000 postmenopausal women who had not been diagnosed with breast cancer. Six years later they did a follow up questionnaire and found that regular use of fish oil, another potent source of omega-3 fatty acids, reduced breast cancer risk by 32 percent. For women who already have breast cancer, Dr. Horner states that omega-3s will help shrink tumors and help keep them confined so that they don't spread.

Fiber

Whole ground flax seeds are also a significant source of fiber, long thought to be important for preventing breast and colon cancer. A recent study funded by the World Cancer Institute found that every 10 grams of fiber consumed daily reduces breast cancer risk by 5 percent. It is thought that the fiber binds to estrogen in the intestines and helps move it out of the body before it can do more harm.

Lignans
Lignans, another big contributor to the prevention of and healing of breast cancer, are natural plant compounds found in fruits, vegetables and grains such as wheat, broccoli, garlic, carrots and dried apricots. However they are also abundant in flax seeds which have 100 times the lignans found in other known edible sources. In a recent German study researchers evaluated bloods samples from 1,140 postmenopausal women diagnosed with breast cancer. They measured levels of enterolactone, a known bio-marker for lignans and found that women with the highest amounts of this substance were associated with a 40 percent lower mortality risk from breast cancer. Previous research by the same scientists had already established the importance of lignans for prevention of breast cancer.

Horner also stresses the importance of lignans stating that they promote change in the breast structure in a way that makes the tissue more resistant to the toxins that can cause cancer. In addition, lignans decrease tumor growth factors, help prevent metastasis and reduce estrogen production by fat cells.

View the original article here. 

www.fleurhealth.com

Pregnancy And Fish Oils - Good For Mom & Better For Baby

Dr. Enrique Jacome MD

Pregnant women are being advised to consume omega-3 fatty acids in order to ensure proper development of the fetal neurological system. Even after birth, fish oil supplementation can improve the early development of a newborn's brain, visual system, and motor function in women who breastfeed. These fish oils, most notably the fatty aciddocosahexaenoic acid (DHA)is part of a group of omega-3s known as polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). The human brain is full of PUFAs that modulate inflammation and provide integrity to the neuronal network. By supplying a developing brain with plenty of PUFAs, a mother can support their child's proper development. Along with benefits to the child, a pregnant mother that consumes fish oils can prevent pre-term labor, reduce the risk of pre-ecclampsia, and may even help in the prevention of post-pardum depression (PPD).

Another breakthrough in fish oil research shows that fish oil supplementation during pregnancy decreases the risk of a newborn developing eczema. In a study of 700 pregnant women, those who took fish oil supplements versus a placebo had a decreased incidence of infant eczema by three times. When DHA and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) enter the cell membrane, they suppress inflammation that could potentially lead to various allergies and skin reactions that develop in early childhood. This study is ongoing as it plans to follow the children until age six to determine the extent of the lasting benefits.

If you want to start taking fish oils, the FDA recommends not exceeding the maximum dosage of 3000 mg of fish oil per day. The American Pregnancy Association recommends that pregnant and lactating women consume 500-1000 mg of fish oil per day ensuring that at least 300 mg are DHA. Although most capsules of fish oil supplements are 1000 mg, this does not indicate the amounts of actual fish oil (EPA and DHA) in each capsule, which is usually between 200-500 mg. Instead of taking a supplement, one can simply eat raw fish. The most EPA and DHA dense fish is salmon. Additionally, pregnant mothers should make sure they are getting their fish oils from a natural source free of heavy metals (mercury, BPA). To avoid heavy metal toxicity, avoid consuming fish that are high in the food chain (shark, swordfish), or be sure to purchase supplements from a reputable source with natural ingredients.

www.fleurhealth.com

Dr. Jacome's Healthy Eating Tips: Egg Yolks - A Superfood

Egg yolks are a leading source of lutein and zeaxanthin - a dynamic antioxidant duo that accumulates in the retina and protects eye health. Better still, US Researchers at Tufts University recently discovered that lutein is more readily absorbed from eggs than other sources, such as spinach.

Egg yolks also provide selenium, vitamin E, high quality protein and choline - a nutrient that can help improve heart health.

Preparation Tip: If you tire of the classic boiled-scrambled-poached triumvirate, bring a little Mexican flavour to your mornings with breakfast tacos. Just top tortillas with scrambled eggs, diced tomatoes and basil. Muy bien, as they say in Guadalajara.

www.fleurhealth.com

Study: Pregnant And Breastfeeding Mothers Should Avoid Exposure To BPA

Dr. Bev Blessing FNP, PHD

An Oct 2011 report looked at the risk of transferring BPA exposure to infants while breastfeeding. BPA is very common and found in the fat cells of about 90% of the population. It is felt that we get it from various food and beverage products housed in plastics and tin cans. This substance was originally synthesized as an estrogen compound and it is felt that early exposure to this substance can increase the infants risk for hormonal changes and indicates a potential increased risk for breast cancer.

 The bottomline of the study was "pregnant and breastfeeding mothers should avoid exposure to BPA as it may affect their daughters' breast tissue." That means avoiding use of BPA plastic bottles and most foods and beverages that come in tin cans, (including sodas). Please read the full article below:

BPA Exposure in Utero May Increase Predisposition to Breast Cancer

ScienceDaily (Oct. 3, 2011) — A recent study accepted for publication in Molecular Endocrinology, a journal of The Endocrine Society, found that perinatal exposure to environmentally relevant doses of bisphenol A (BPA) alters long-term hormone response and breast development in mice that may increase the propensity to develop cancer.

BPA, a human-made chemical produced and marketed largely for specific industrial purposes, is detected in body fluids of more than 90 percent of the human population. It was originally synthesized as an estrogenic compound and there has been concern that exposure to BPA could have developmental effects on various hormone-responsive organs including the mammary gland.

"I want it to be clear that we do not provide evidence that BPA exposure causes breast cancer per se," said Cathrin Brisken, MD, of the Swiss Institute for Experimental Cancer Research and co-author of the study. "We do provide evidence that BPA exposure alters mammary gland development and that this may increase the predisposition of the breast to breast cancer."

In this study, researchers mimicked human exposure to BPA as it occurs with beverages and food from BPA containing vessels (such as plastics and the lining of tin cans) by adding the compound to the drinking water of breeding mice. Female pups born from BPA-consuming parents were transferred to a BPA-free environment at weaning and followed over time.

Researchers analyzed changes in the mammary gland of female offspring that were exposed to BPA through their mothers in utero and while being breast fed. The mammary glands of BPA exposed females showed an increased response to the hormone progesterone. Lifetime exposure to progesterone has been linked to increase breast cancer risk.

Furthermore, researchers found that adult females who had been exposed to BPA in utero and while breast fed, showed a 1.5 fold increase in cell numbers in their milk ducts. This is comparable to what is seen upon similar exposure to another estrogenic compound, diethyllbestrol (DES). Uterine exposure to DES in the human population has been shown to increase the relative risk of getting breast cancer two-fold as women reach their fifties.

"While we cannot extrapolate these results directly from mice to humans, the possibility that some of the increase in breast cancer incidence observed over the past decades may be attributed to exposure to BPA cannot be dismissed," said Brisken. "Our study suggests that pregnant and breastfeeding mothers should avoid exposure to BPA as it may affect their daughters' breast tissue."

Other researchers working on the study include Ayyakkannu Ayyanan, Ouahiba Laribi, Sonia Schuepbach-Mallepell, Christina Schrick, Maria Gutierrez, Tamara Tanos and Ozden Yalcin-Ozuysal of the Swiss Institute for Experimental Cancer Research; and Gregory Lefebvre and Jacques Rougemont of École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne in Switzerland.

View the article on Science Daily's website here.

www.fleurhealth.com

The Link Between Breast Cancer And Toxic Environmental Factors

Dr. Bev Blessing FNP, PHD

Here is my summary with some sensible recommendations of a recent article by Mehmet C. Oz, MD, and Michael F. Roizen, MD entitled, "Breast Cancer Risk May Be Linked to Toxic Environmental Factors". Like many women I am looking into this topic more and more. Unfortunately there is a lot of information out there, and much of it is controversial. I think the key is that we really don't have a good handle on the amount of exposure we are really getting. Defining what truly is "Generally Recognized as Safe" (GRAS) is very difficult. For now, my advise is to avoid high or persistent exposure venues, work on addressing obesity issues,  and change buying habits to avoid potential toxins in foods and cosmetics. Let's share information so that we can all learn and strive to be healthier. Please view the original:

Breast Cancer Risk May Be Linked to Toxic Environmental Factors
by Mehmet C. Oz, MD, and Michael F. Roizen, MD

You wouldn't take a bath in paint thinner or breathe gas fumes for fun, but small "everyday" doses aren't okay either. A big new report on breast cancer and environmental toxins has terrific advice. Didn't get to read all 300 pages? We YOU Docs dug in for you to get the key stuff on protecting you and yours from environmental chemicals that increase breast cancer risk.

The news must have been tough reading for reporters on deadline because plenty of media accounts got this important story wrong, concluding, "It's too soon to tell." It's not. The Institute of Medicine's concise message: "Limit or eliminate your exposure to chemicals that are plausible contributors to breast cancer risk."Consider getting screened for breast cancer.

Sure, there's a lot we don't know yet about environmental cancer threats. Cancer can take decades to develop, and over decades we're all exposed to thousands of compounds. Connecting the dots isn't easy. But here's what we do know:

About 34,000 cancer deaths a year are due to environmental pollutants.
The report found the strongest evidence for secondhand smoke; chemicals in gas fumes, car exhaust and some work environments; and solvents in dry cleaning, paint, and paint thinners.
Hormone-like chemicals in plastics, pesticides, and elsewhere could also be a problem.

Don't shrug off these warnings. Instead, take these five steps to lower your exposure to many toxins that put you at the highest risk for breast cancer:

1. Don't breathe in this gunk: tobacco smoke, gasoline fumes, and car exhaust. They have the strongest links to breast cancer risk, so steer totally clear of other people's tobacco smoke. Avoid inhaling gas fumes when you fill up at the pump, and open garage or storage shed doors for a few minutes before going in. Fumes build up in closed spaces where you keep cars, mowers, blowers, and other gas-powered equipment. Avoid vehicle exhaust. Check your indoor air quality to breathe easy.

2. Keep and try to use this stuff outside: organic solvents in paints, paint strippers, and glues. Air out fresh dry cleaning in the garage or on a porch before bringing it in. Try to find a "green" dry cleaner that doesn't use trichloroethylene or perchloroethylene. Both solvents are health worries. If solvents are reported in your local water supply, add a carbon filter to your taps.

3. Sidestep hormone disturbers. The most famous one, BPA, is linked to a protein found in up to 30% of women with breast cancer. Fortunately, BPA has been removed from virtually all hard plastic bottles, glasses, and pitchers, but most canned foods still come in cans lined with BPA-laced material (it excels at blocking spoilage and can contaminates). Also, most thermal receipts from such places as fast-food restaurants and gas stations are BPA-laden. No widely available substitute has been found for can liners or receipts, but the hunt is on. Meanwhile, try to buy fresh or frozen foods, look for BPA-free cans -- about 20% are (usually from organic lines) -- and don't take thermal receipts if you don't need. If you do, stash 'em, and wash your hands before touching food.

4. Be choosy about personal-care and household products. There's plenty of carcinogen controversy about certain chemicals in cosmetics, soaps, shampoos, and more. The Environmental Working Group has a cosmetics database of worry-free products, and Green Seal is one good guide to choosing nontoxic cleaners (try baking soda and vinegar, too).

It's not just about toxins. To really cut breast cancer risk, keep your weight healthy and your waist under 33 inches. Stay active. Stick to one drink daily, and if you're at above-average risk, don't drink. Consider hormone replacement therapy for tough menopausal symptoms if you're not at extra risk for breast cancer and heart disease. We believe taking bioidentical estrogen, micronized progesterone, and two low-dose aspirin daily both cools hot flashes and lowers breast cancer odds. Even without menopausal issues, talk to your doc about low-dose aspirin to counter breast cancer, colon cancer, and stroke. Take aspirin with half a glass of warm water before and after. Got it?!

www.fleurhealth.com

Smoking Early In Pregnancy Raises The Risk Of Heart Defects In Infants

Dr. Enrique Jacome MD

Maternal cigarette smoking in the first trimester was associated with a 20 to 70 percent greater likelihood that a baby would be born with certain types of congenital heart defects, according to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Congenital heart defects are the most common type of birth defects, contributing to approximately 30 percent of infant deaths from birth defects annually.

The study found an association between tobacco exposure and certain types of defects such as those that obstruct the flow of blood from the right side of the heart into the lungs (right ventricular outflow tract obstructions) and openings between the upper chambers of the heart. 


"Women who smoke and are thinking about becoming pregnant need to quit smoking and, if they're already pregnant, they need to stop," said CDC Director Thomas R. Frieden, M.D., M.P.H. "Quitting is the single most important thing a woman can do to improve her health as well as the health of her baby."

Based on the findings of this and other studies, eliminating smoking before or very early in pregnancy could prevent as many as 100 cases of right ventricular outflow tract obstructions and 700 cases of atrial septal defects each year in the United States. For atrial septal defects alone, that could potentially save $16 million in hospital costs.

"Successfully stopping smoking during pregnancy also lowers the chances of pregnancy complications such as preterm delivery and that an infant will have other complications such as low birth weight," said Adolfo Correa, M.D., Ph.D., medical officer in CDC's National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities.

The findings from the study, "Maternal Smoking and Congenital Heart Defects in the Baltimore-Washington Infant Study," are based on a large population-based case-control study of congenital heart defects conducted in the United States; 2,525 case and 3,435 control infants born from 1981 to 1989 were included in this analysis.

Congenital heart defects are conditions present at birth that decrease the ability of the heart to work well, which can result in an increased likelihood of death or long-term disabilities. They affect nearly 40,000 infants in the United States every year.

It is estimated that right ventricular outflow tract obstructions affect approximately 2,500 infants per year and atrial septal defects affect approximately 5,600 infants per year in the United States. In 2004, U.S. hospital costs for all congenital heart defects were estimated at approximately $1.4 billion.

For the paper visit: http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/peds.2010-1399dv1?rss=1

For information about birth defects and smoking, please visit http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/features/birthdefects-smoking-keyfindings.html or call 1-800-CDC-INFO.

For more information on smoking and tobacco use, please visit: www.cdc.gov/tobacco

For information about congenital heart disease, please visit:http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/chd/chd_what.html.

www.fleurhealth.com

Six Things To Know About Yourself For A Healthier 2012

Dr. Enrique Jacome MD

What are the most important things a woman can do to stay healthy in 2012? It starts with knowing yourself better. Analyzing some key facts about your body & health history will take you a long way to a 2012 full of great physical health & fun. Here are six suggestions to get you started: 

1. Know your body composition. A study published in the International Journal of Obesity found that    25 to 30 percent of young women with a normal BMI (19 to 25) still carry excessive body fat. The easiest way to check your body composition is with bioelectric impedance analysis, available in many gyms and doctors’ offices.

2. Know your family’s health history. Quiz the heck out of relatives, then tell everything you learn to your M.D. Need help coming up with a list of questions? The U.S. Surgeon General’s Family Health Portrait (www.familyhistory.hhs.gov) offers easy instructions.

3. Know your cancer risk. The American Cancer Society’s Great American Health Check (www.cancer.org/greatamericans) asks a few questions about your personal and family health history and then generates a list of recommended screening tests, plus tips on how to reduce your health risks.

4. Know your cholesterol levels. A survey by the Society for Women’s Health Research revealed that less than a third of American women know their numbers. Get your cholesterol checked every five years, starting at age 20. You’re in the clear if your total number is under 200 mg/dL, with an LDL (that’s the bad kind) of less than 100 mg/dL and an HDL (that’s the good kind) of 50 mg/DL or more.

5. Know your resting heart rate. The lower the number, the less your heart has to work (and that’s a good thing). Take your pulse in the morning, when you’re most relaxed. Measure the number of beats in 10 seconds, then multiply by six. Your number should be between 60 and 80--even lower if you’re athletic.

6. Know your waist-to-hip ratio. The best test for predicting heart attacks may be the proportion of your waist to your hips. Measure your waist at the smallest point, then measure your hips at the widest point. Divide the first number by the second number: an ideal ratio is 0.8 or lower.

www.fleurhealth.com