According to the National Cancer Institute, breast cancer incidence rates increased by more than 40% from 1973 to 1998. Despite breast cancer being the leading cause of death among middle-aged women in the United States, only 5% of the National Cancer Institute's budget is allocated to research on cancer prevention.
The key to the prevention of breast cancer is being aware of the various factors that cause the disease while also being aware of what discourages cancer growth in breast tissue.
What causes breast cancer?
From my clinical experience, it’s rarely just one cause. From one cancer cell to a tumor takes about ten years. Imagine a young woman named Sarah. Sarah had mild scoliosis when she was younger so she received more x-rays than normal. She also grew up eating ultra-processed foods. Then one day while walking to her car, she fell and landed on her breast. Several years later during perimenopause, her doctor gave her hormonal therapy in the form of estrogen pills. During all that time, she was also working a very stressful job. I often hear some form of this story with a new breast cancer patient.
Here's an in-depth look at some of the risk factors of breast cancer:
• A poor diet can lead to insulin resistance and estrogen dominance.
• Age - Women who are in their mid-thirties to their mid-forties have the highest risk of breast cancer.
• Pharmaceuticals such as HRT - Synthetic hormone therapy has a major link to breast cancer.
• An injury to the breast - A physical disruption to the breast can cause inflammation.
• Genetics, race, and geography - For example, women of non or less industrialized countries have less breast cancer.
• Not enough exercise - Recent studies show women who exercised for seven or more hours per week had a 20% lower risk of breast cancer than those who exercised for less than one hour per week. It should be noted that too much exercise is estrogenic (cancer-causing). Balance is always needed!
• Pregnancy - Pregnancy has a protective effect on the body likely due to the production of HCG and progestogen.
• Ionizing radiation - Radiation exposure is cumulative. Each dose increases the risk of breast cancer.
• Excess iron - Excess iron in the body works as a powerful oxidant, increasing free radicals thereby raising a woman's risk. Ferritin (a measure of iron storage) stimulates breast cancer cells through an iron-independent mechanism and is localized within tumor-associated macrophages.
• Chronic Stress - Stress hormones can inhibit a process called anoikis, which kills diseased cells and prevents them from spreading.
• Insufficient Iodine -
Iodine is required in breasts, ovaries, and the prostate. It balances estrogen and has a strong anti-breast cancer effect.
• Low vitamin D - Studies show breast cancer rates tend to be lowest in regions of high solar radiation and highest in areas with low solar radiation. This effect is probably due to
vitamin D status in childhood and early adolescence.
Some of these risk factors are out of our control. But even then, that doesn’t mean breast cancer is guaranteed. There are actionable ways we can keep our bodies healthy and balanced. I believe the most important factor in breast cancer is unopposed estrogen. Unopposed estrogen feeds breast cancer. A poor diet, environmental toxicity, older age (which accompanies progesterone deficiency), ionizing radiation, and chronic stress are all linked to estrogen.
Early Detection for Breast Cancer
Here at our clinics, we have thermography and ultrasound services for early breast cancer prevention. Thermography is an FDA-approved, non-contact, and radiation-free diagnostic imaging tool that's used to detect inflammatory levels due to breast cancer and pain anywhere in the body. It utilizes an ultra-sensitive, high-resolution infrared camera that can detect minute changes in vascular patterns. These patterns appear as temperature variations and may signal disease years before other imaging modalities.
In addition, we can run a full hormone panel to evaluate if your estrogen levels are too high, putting you at risk for breast cancer.
To learn more about early breast cancer detection options available,
click here. If you are interested in our early breast cancer detection services or curious to know your estrogen levels, book an appointment at 949-680-1800.