Breast Cancer in Both Women and Men

Since it is Breast Cancer Awareness month I thought it apropos to do a blog on breast cancer prevention.  Many times we think this is a female problem but men develop breast cancer as well.

Lifestyle choices can increase risk, but genetic factors play a powerful role in development of breast cancer even with healthful living.

Let’s focus on things we can do to help prevent and help reoccurrence of breast cancer.

Research has consistently linked high insulin levels to development of inflammation and cancer.  A high glycemic carbohydrate diet can increase production of insulin, which in turn can increase cell growth or tumors in the body.  When insulin levels are high, tumor cells can get the food they need to divide and multiply.

How do we keep insulin levels normal?

1.  Eating foods close to the earth that do not come with in a package or have a label -  such as fruits, vegetables, nuts/seeds, avocados, etc.

2.  Eating animal products from animals that eat what they were designed to eat – cows that eat grass, chickens that eat grass and insects and fish that eat food from the sea.  Many of our animals are eating corn which increases inflammation and insulin levels.  The exact terms are “grass-fed beef,”  “pastured chicken and eggs, “  “grass-fed or European cheese” and “wild fish.”

3.  Making sure you have omega 3’s every day – best sources are ground flax seed and fish oil that is concentrated in DHA and EPA.

4.  Optimize your Vitamin D levels – many of us have low levels since we wear sunscreen, are indoors much of the time, and our diets do not contain adequate amounts.  Have your physician check your vitamin D.  Keeping your level above 60 ng/dl is a good form of prevention.

5.  Limit alcohol.  Alcohol is linked to breast cancer since it increases estrogen levels in the blood, increases blood triglycerides levels and lower’s the liver’s processing of excess estrogen besides decreasing the immune system.

6.  Do some form of physical activity for 30 minutes per day.  Exercise lowers insulin resistance by 40-50% - an unbeatable statistic for a short amount of time.

These 6 steps may not prevent breast cancer but can dramatically lower your risk of developing it.  And it can set the stage for health in many other arenas of your life.

Change your Real Age

I heard Dr. Micheal Roizen a few weeks back at a conference who gave a very positive and informative lecture.  Dr. Roizen is the co-author with Dr. Memhet Oz of You on a Diet, besides authoring multiple other books and being the former editor of six major medical journals.  He is now chief wellness officer of the Cleveland Clinic and spoke of all the amazing changes he has put into place while being there including having a farmer’s market and garden on site,  making smoking off limits within the medical complex and ridding all hospital menus and vending machines of products containing trans fat.

Dr. Roizen stated 4 things can control your Real Age – the age your body thinks it is – rather than what your genes are coded to be.  The 4 things include tobacco, food choices and portion sizes, physical activity and stress.  If these 4 things are modified to health you can actually CHANGE your genes and your family history.  In fact, when changes are implemented your genes actually sense you are making a change within 2 weeks before your body makes changes.

Therefore, eating a healthy diet full of real unprocessed foods combined with regular activity, controlling stress as much as possible and not smoking can change your genes, lower your real age, decrease disease and increase longevity.  He believes if these changes are implemented people will start to live to be 120-150 years old.  This is great news!  Reasonable lifestyle changes make a huge difference in living longer healthier lives and may be simpler than you think.

Start by trying to buy foods on the periphery of the grocery store, walking half an hour a day and doing 5-10 minutes of stretching.  Sleep 15 minutes more.  The next week add one more reasonable change and soon you will see how much more energy and vitality you have.  The small changes will soon pay a large dividend - better odds than the current stock market.

Label Reading 101

The following excerpt is from my upcoming book and gives you a quick guide to reading labels.

If something is designed to make our lives easier, why do we feel more confused? This is how many people feel after looking at food labels. Plain and simple – food labels are not user friendly. You almost need an interpreter to figure out what information is being conveyed and how to apply it to your life. It is similar to someone who has never attempted a crossword puzzle– where do you begin?

Many things on the label are optional. For starters, we are not scientists and need only to look at key pertinent information. Percentages, numbers on the bottom are comparisons to an average male adult of a certain weight, which may or may not apply. A good starting point is to read the list of ingredients on the label or side of the box. Questions to ask are:

How many ingredients does the food have? If there are more than 5 or 6 ingredients, consider re-evaluating your food choice, since the more ingredients the more processed the food will be.

Are any of the ingredients other names or components for sugar or starches– such as sucrose, dextrose, maltose, glucose, mannitol, sorbitol, molasses, monosaccharides, polysaccharides, maple syrup, maple sugar, date sugar, brown sugar, raw sugar, turbinado sugar, high fructose corn syrup? If the product contains any of these names it is very likely it is a high sugar product.
Does the product contain MSG, or other ingredients that may contain components of MSG such as aspartame, broth, glutamate, hydrolyzed, autolyzed yeast, monosodium glutamate, HVP, yeast extract, malted barley, rice or brown syrup? MSG is a flavor enhancer for foods but also can increase appetite and allergic reactions in some individuals.

How many preservatives or stabilizers does the product contain? Sometimes one or two are okay for a week or two of extended shelf life, but many preservatives ensures the “food” would be there next year if you came across it in your cabinet.

Is there anything you do not recognize or can’t pronounce? (one clue it may not be a healthy food choice).

If a product contains less than 5 or 6 ingredients and does not have extras sugars or other preservatives you can now check the label. Look for serving size as many manufacturers make it small, (serving sizes are one of the hidden keys on a label) to make their product look healthier than it actually is. Look for “total carbohydrates” which will tell you how much carbohydrate/starch/sugar the product contains. 15 grams is equal to about a serving or a slice of bread. A product containing 45 grams of total carbohydrates is similar to consuming 3 slices of bread.

Trans fat is one major consideration. Unfortunately many manufacturers make the serving size so small it falls under the “do not need to report” guideline. If the serving size has less then .5 grams of trans fat a manufacturer can state “contains no trans fat” on the label. Do not rely on what the front of the package states. If you ate several servings of a food with “no trans fat” on the label of a packaged/processed food it could add up to well over 2-3 grams of trans fat per day, which is the most dangerous type of fat.

Researchers at Harvard, including Dr. Walter Willet, warn against consuming greater than 2 grams of trans fat per day since it can increase your risk of heart disease by 37 percent, well above any risk of consuming saturated fat. How much trans fat does processed foods contain? Check it out before purchasing. Examples:

· a medium size order of French fries has approximately 8 grams of trans fat
· a small bag of potato chips has 5 grams
· a donut has approximately 5 grams
· a regular sized candy bar has 3 grams

If you eat even small amounts of processed foods, eating 2 or more grams of trans fat easily adds up.

How much sodium does the product contain? The average consumer eats about 6000 mg. per day. The American Heart Association and many health organizations including the National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine recommend keeping your sodium intake below 2300 milligrams per day. If you consume several products which contain more than 500 mg. per serving of sodium, it quickly adds up.

Summing up label reading

Start by looking at the list of ingredients. If the list passes the litmus test, then read on to see if the product is moderate in carbohydrate, sodium, and trans fat. If it has some protein, some monounsaturated fat (healthy fat) and fiber listed on the label, all the better for a balanced meal.
Otherwise, stick with fresh unprocessed foods which do not have labels and limit your exposure to foods in a package. The more ingredients a food contains, the longer it may take your body to process the food. Furthermore, if there are items you cannot pronounce or recognize on the label it might be wise to leave it on the shelf. Your body will thank you!