This newsletter focuses on some things you can do to maintain breast health.

Iodine has shown some anti-proliferative effects in healthy breast tissue. Healthy levels of iodine can be achieved with diet but this requires a Japanese style of eating which includes a regular consumption of sea vegetables or a regular consumption of shellfish. Iodised salt alone does not suffice.

Due to the importance of this nutrient and the changes required to achieve healthy dietary intake, most people opt for supplementation as an easy and inexpensive option. It is the only supplement that we are recommending for indefinite use if you do not make the necessary dietary changes to include daily intake of iodine rich foods. Karengo is a New Zealand sea vegetable that is mild tasting and can be added to salads and vegetables and there are many different types of kelp seasonings available at the health food shop. Please check with your health professional before you start taking iodine as a regular supplement.

Next is Vitamin D and we have covered this extensively in other newsletters, suffice to say that levels would ideally be between 100-150nmol/l measured on a blood test. Prescription vitamin D is sometimes used for correcting levels quickly and is a very inexpensive option. Some may have heard of the benefits of cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and kale. This is because of a substance called indole-3-carbinol. This substance converts to di-indole methane (DIM) in the body and has been shown to assist with keeping the estrogen profile healthy and helping to avoid the types of estrogens associated with the proliferation of breast cancer.

A very recent laboratory study on estrogen dependant breast cancer cells showed that DDT (pesticide) applied to breast cancer cells caused increased proliferation, but when indole-3-carbinol was then added it inhibited the breast cancer cell proliferation stimulated by the DDT. This nutrient is found in the cruciferous vegetables as mentioned.

Normal cell division is supported by adequate levels of vitamin B12, zinc, folate, vitamin D and calcium. B12 is high in meat and tempeh, zinc is high in oysters and there is some in pumpkin seeds, folate is high in green leafy vegetables and vitamin D is from the sun and cod liver oil. Adequate levels of vitamin D are necessary for the absorption of calcium from the digestive tract. Some evidence has shown that cosmetics used around the breast and underarm area can gain direct access to the breast tissue without going through the systemic circulation without first being metabolised by the liver. The substances to be wary of are listed below.

For breast health it is ideal to avoid the following substances: Parabens (preservative in cosmetics and food), Aluminium salts in antiperspirant, Triclosan (preservative in deodorant) Metallo-ostrogens (cadmium in cigarette smoke and aluminium in cosmetics), pesticides and herbacides such as DDT, Dieldrin, and Lindane. Eat organic, wash and peel foods, and eat lean meats as these substances concentrate in the fat. Please avoid or take precautions against industrial inhalants such as fumes from epoxy resins, polycarbonate plastics and inhalants from incinerators.

Darbre P.D. (2006). “Environmental oestrogens, cosmetics and breast cancer.” Best Practice & Research Clinical Endocrinology & metabolism 20(1): 121-143.