Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom (79 page)

Antioxidants.
Studies have shown that many women with breast pain are helped by the antioxi dant vitamins E and A and the mineral selenium. Research shows that vitamin E actually decreased serum pituitary hormone levels (LH and FSH) in women treated with it for breast pain.
⁷²
(If vitamin E isn’t part of your multivitamin-mineral complex, you can add it to your regimen as a separate supplement in the form of d-alpha-tocopherol, 400 to 600 IU per day.) Antioxidants also help reduce the chance of breast cancer, as well as optimize treatment. In one study of women with breast cancer, low serum retinol (a vitamin A by-product) was associated with a decreased response to chemotherapy, while those with higher amounts of vitamin A had a better response.
⁷³
Selenium may help reduce breast cancer risk, too, as suggested by the fact that selenium levels are lower in women with breast cancer.
⁷⁴
In fact, a double-blind, ran-domized cancer prevention trial that supplemented selenium at levels of 200 mcg per day for more than six years showed a 50 percent reduction in total cancer mortality.
⁷⁵
Selenium is a trace mineral that is often lacking in refined-food diets.

Bioflavonoids.
The use of bioflavonoids (found in the vita min C complex) may inhibit estrogen synthesis.
⁷⁶
Vitamin D.
Take at least 2,000–5,000 IU of vitamin D3 per day. (See box below.)

Lactobacillus acidophilus.
Hyperestrogenism and possibly the risk of breast cancer itself may be decreased by including this beneficial bacterium in the diet.
Lactobacillus acidophilus,
the bacterium in yogurt, helps metabolize estrogen properly in the bowel.
⁷⁷
Most commercially available yogurt does not contain enough of the live bacteria to make a difference, but organic brands do. You can also get lactobacillus in capsules sold in health food stores. Health care practitioners can usually suggest a reliable brand; I recommend PB 8, which doesn’t require refrigeration.

Coenzyme Q
₁₀
.
Studies have found that about 20 percent of breast cancer patients have levels of coenzyme Q
₁₀
that are below the normal range. Coenzyme Q
₁₀
(also known as ubiquinone) is a natural substance necessary for the production of ATP—the main molecule that powers our cells. It has also been shown to enhance immune functioning. In one recent study from Denmark, thirty-two breast cancer patients were given up to 390 mg per day of coQ10, together with antioxidants and essential fatty acids. Seven showed partial or complete regression of their tumors.
⁷⁸
Although these results are preliminary, I recommend coQ
₁₀
as part of a supplement program for every woman who has concerns about breast cancer. The usual dose is 30 mg to 90 mg per day. For those women with already diagnosed breast cancer, 300 mg per day is definitely worth a try. Several of my colleagues who treat breast cancer have reported results similar to those found in the Danish study. CoQ
₁₀
is available in health food stores. Note: Statin drugs greatly reduce CoQ
₁₀
in the body. Women on these drugs should take supplemental CoQ
₁₀
.

P
ROTECT
Y
OUR
B
REASTS WITH
V
ITAMIN
D

There’s a paradigm shift going on in medicine as new research reveals a far greater role for vitamin D than merely saving children from rickets. Optimal levels of vitamin D enhance the creation and functioning of healthy cells throughout the body.
⁷⁹
In addition to protecting the bones and boosting the immune system, studies show that vitamin D helps prevent certain cancers, including breast, ovarian, prostate, renal, pancreatic, colon, and colorectal.
⁸⁰
Exciting new research shows that in the United States alone, if women kept their blood levels of vitamin D at 40–60 ng/ml year-round, it would prevent 58,000 new cases of breast cancer (and 49,000 new cases of colorectal cancer) each year.
⁸¹

Studies by Cedric Garland, Dr.P.H., of the University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine, and other prominent vitamin D researchers show that having vitamin D levels above 52 ng/ml (which you can achieve by taking 2,000 IU of vitamin D3 per day, plus getting moderate sun exposure when possible) can boost blood levels high enough to cut breast cancer risk in half.
⁸²
In addition, an increasing number of studies now link breast cancer survival with this important vitamin. According to a Canadian study presented at the 2008 annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, breast cancer patients with very low levels of vitamin D were more likely to have aggressive tumors and were 73 percent more likely to die.
⁸³
In a 2009 study, breast cancer patients with low levels of vitamin D had almost double the risk of their cancer spreading. They were also 1.7 times as likely to die.
⁸⁴

A simple blood test is all that’s needed to find out your vitamin D level. (See the diagnostic laboratories section in Resources for how to get this done without a prescription.) Five years ago, a range of 20–100 ng/ml was considered normal. Just recently, this range was raised to 32–100 ng/ml. Make sure to ask your health care provider what your actual vitamin D level is. Too often women are told that their levels are normal, which is
not
the same as optimal. Optimal serum levels are 40–100 ng/ml, although expert opinion varies somewhat about the higher end of this range. To boost your vitamin D levels into the optimal range, I recommend moderate, safe sunlight exposure (about ten to twenty minutes or so per day—more if your skin is dark) without sunscreen on a regular basis as well as taking supplemental vitamin D. Initially, you may need to take 5,000 IU per day. After you’ve established a healthful level, I recommend supplementing with at least 2,000 IU per day, because it’s hard to get all you need from food. (Some healthful fish, for example, provides 300–700 IU, but milk only provides 100 IU per glass.) According to Dr. Garland’s research, for maximum benefit, girls should get enough vitamin D during the entire phase of breast development— which starts at breast budding and continues until the age of twenty-eight. One of my colleagues recently told me that in an in-house study at his company, almost everyone required a full 5,000 IU per day to maintain optimal vitamin D levels without daily sunbathing.

You may be surprised to learn that the sun is actually the best source of vitamin D. The sun’s UVB rays enable our bodies to manufacture vitamin D in the fat layer under the skin, as long as we don’t use sunscreen. The body can make up to 10,000 IU of vitamin D in thirty minutes of total body exposure, depending on skin pigmentation level. And it will never create toxic levels. Although we are taught to fear the sun, sunbathing in moderation—exposing but never burning the skin—is good for us. Your breasts and your entire body will benefit. This is preventive medicine at its finest. And it may explain why the incidence of breast cancer is higher in northern latitudes than at the equator. (By the way, in the winter, you can even visit a tanning salon that offers UVB tanning rays, to ensure your body is manufacturing enough vitamin D. Just keep your exposure to ten minutes or less.)

Increase your intake of iodine.
As with vitamin D, many women have suboptimal intake of iodine. The average Japanese intake of iodine is about 45 mg/day, mostly from seaweed consumption—and the Japanese have the lowest rate of breast cancer in the world. In the United States, however, average iodine intake is only 240
micrograms,
which is far too low for optimal health. Iodine intake has fallen over the past fifty years as people have decreased their intake of iodized salt and also because the dough conditioners used in commercial bread making now contain bromate instead of iodate. In addition, water fluoridation can interfere with iodine metabolism. (The implications of iodine and health are enormous and beyond the scope of this book. I recommend that you read
Iodine for Health
by Donald Miller, Jr., M.D., available online at
www.lewrockwell.com/miller/miller20.html.
)