No foods will prevent breast cancer, but some, like walnuts and cabbage, may lower the risk

You can’t do anything about the genes you were born with, but committing to a sound diet can help protect against breast cancer. “Researchers estimate that in the U.S., we can prevent about 38 percent of breast cancers with some basic healthy steps,” says registered dietitian Karen Collins, a nutrition advisor for the American Institute for Cancer Research. “We can make a difference without doing anything extreme.”

While no food or dietary approach can flat-out prevent breast cancer, the risk of developing the disease could be reduced. Here’s a roundup of findings.

A plant-based diet. A recent study suggests that women who eat lots of fruit, veggies, and legumes and little red meat, salt, and processed carbohydrates may lower their odds of developing estrogen-receptor negative breast cancer, which accounts for about a quarter of all breast cancers. A study published in September in the American Journal of Epidemiology found that the likelihood of the cancer was 20 percent less when women followed such a diet.

[Weight Gain Ups Breast Cancer Risk: 7 Ways to Avoid the Bulge]

Walnuts. Consuming walnuts slowed the development and growth of breast cancer tumors in mice, according to a study published in September in Nutrition and Cancer. Study author Elaine Hardman, a professor at Marshall University’s Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, looked at the effect of a diet containing the human equivalent of 2 ounces of walnuts a day (25 to 30 walnut halves). After 34 days, mice that ate walnuts had less than half the rate of breast cancer as a control group on the same diet minus the walnuts. The number and size of tumors also were significantly smaller for the walnut group. The study authors speculate that walnuts’ anti-inflammatory properties are the reason.

Cutting back on alcohol. Even a moderate amount of alcohol is “clearly linked” to an increased risk of breast cancer, according to the American Cancer Society. Compared with non-drinkers, women who have two to five drinks a day are at least 50 percent likelier to develop the disease. If you have to drink, stick to a glass of wine (5 ounces), a shot of liquor (1.5 ounces), or a bottle of beer (12 ounces) a day.

[Women and Alcohol: How Much Is Healthful?]

Cabbage and sauerkraut. Researchers at Michigan State University found that people who ate raw or lightly cooked cabbage and sauerkraut at least three times a week were 72 percent less likely to develop breast cancer than those who had it twice or less. Findings were presented during an American Association for Cancer Research meeting in 2005. High levels of glucosinolates—compounds found in cabbage—may be responsible.

Vitamin D. Multiple studies have linked higher vitamin D levels with a lower risk of breast cancer. In one study, women with high vitamin D intake were up to 50 percent less likely to develop the disease, according to findings presented at an American Association for Cancer Research meeting in 2006. In another study, Canadian researchers found that women who spent time outdoors or got lots of vitamin D from their diet or a supplement were 25 to 45 percent less likely to develop breast cancer. “Vitamin D is a subject under intense research,” says Collins. “And it does appear to play a role.” Some of the best vitamin D sources include milk, cod, shrimp, and salmon.

[How Much Vitamin D Should You Be Taking?]

Peaches and plums. Researchers at Texas A&M University found that peaches and plums contain antioxidants that kill breast cancer cells while leaving normal cells unharmed. The positive effect is likely caused by chlorogenic and neocholorogenic acid, both found in particularly high levels in both fruits. Findings were published in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry in 2010.

SOURCE:  http://health.usnews.com
Author Angela Haupt

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Why take Potassium iodide if you are exposed to radiation?

It can help prevent some of the effects if radiation exposure

Exposure to nuclear radiation

Why  is the thyroid gland important to radiation exposure?

Is is a sensitive organ to radiation, and high levels of exposure can lead to thyroid cancer.

The thyroid gland in the neck is one of the most sensitive organs in the body to radiation. Exposure to high levels of radiation — as occurs during a nuclear plant meltdown — can lead to thyroid cancer.

How do potassium iodide tablets – “iodine pills” help?

Taking potassium iodide  pills temporarily STOPS the thyroid. If taken prior to radiation exposure, the iodine pills counter the effect of the radioactive iodine on the thyroid.

The thyroid uses iodine normally to make thyroid hormone. Excessive  radiation exposure, can  release radioactive iodine into the air. When the radioactive iodine enters the body, the thyroid quickly scoops it up.

How many doses of potassium iodide are needed?

Usually, only one dose of potassium iodide is needed since a single dose protects the thyroid gland for 24 hours — assuming you remove yourself from the exposure area.

It’s important to note that potassium iodide pills protect only the thyroid. They don’t prevent your body from taking in the radiation and don’t help prevent radiation damage to other parts of the body.

Should you take potassium iodide if you have not been directed to do so by your doctor or emergency management officials?

NO! It could lead to unnecessary  health risks since it temporarily STOPS the thyroid

But taking iodine pills is not something you want to do unless instructed by your doctor or emergency management officials.

SOURCE: blogs.webmd.com

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FOR MORE INFORMATION:
FDA –Frequently Asked Questions on Potassium Iodide (KI)
Click here to read FDA article

Click here to read the Hawaii DOH -ADVISES PUBLIC TO AVOID INGESTING POTASSIUM IODIDE; NO INCREASED RISK OF RADIATION EXPOSURE

Click here to read the US NRC Consideration of Potassium Iodide in Emergency Planning

The stages of colon and rectal cancer

Stage 1 Colon Cancer

Staging and why it’s important.

When you’re diagnosed with colon or rectal cancer, your doctor needs to find out how advanced the disease is, or how far it has spread. This important part of your diagnosis is known as staging.

Colorectal cancer staging is important because:

• It tells how much cancer there is in your body and where it’s located
• It helps evaluate the prognosis
• Knowing the extent of the disease helps your doctor develop the right treatment plan
• It gives your healthcare team a common language to talk about your treatment

SOURCE:  colon.cancerinformation.com

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By Daniel J. DeNoon
WebMD Health News
Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

Feb. 19, 2010 – Aspirin has anticancer effects, new studies confirm.

The latest of these studies shows that after successful treatment for breast cancer, women who take aspirin regularly have a significantly lower risk of dying from recurrent cancer. Aspirin also cut their risk of having their cancer spread to other sites.

What does this mean for people treated for cancer? What does it mean for people worried about their cancer risk? Here are answers to these and other frequently asked questions about aspirin and cancer.
Does aspirin really improve breast cancer survival?

Only a clinical trial, in which randomly assigned treatment is tested against an inactive placebo, can prove that a treatment is truly effective.

Until such proof is available, the next best thing is a study in which people taking the treatment are observed over time. The Nurses Health Study followed more than 4,000 nurses who had been treated for breast cancer at least 12 months earlier.

The result: Nurses who took aspirin were significantly less likely to die of breast cancer and to have cancer recur at another site. After adjusting for cancer stage, menopausal status, body mass, and hormone sensitivity of the tumor, women who took aspirin seven days a week were 43% less likely to die of breast cancer.

The findings may apply only to women who survive at least four years after breast cancer treatment. But since 90% of women diagnosed with breast cancer survive at least five years, “our findings have considerable clinical importance,” conclude researchers Michelle D. Holmes, MD, DrPH, and colleagues at Boston’s Brigham & Women’s Hospital. Their study is published online in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

SOURCE: webmd.com

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