Chapter H1. How much BC reduction for your daughter via the RED Triangle?
RED Triangle: 1. Reproductive/Hormonal Factors R
2. Exercise E
3. Diet (+supplements +clean water) D
Cancer researcher Nancy Krieger, PhD wrote, "early age [at first birth]
consistently has emerged as the strongest [breast cancer] protective
factor [5-12]" (Breast Cancer Research and Treatment, 1989)
1. Reproductive/hormonal Factors - BC risk reduction: 65%-80% if ALL
factors optimum:
Reduction in
Leontyn's
BC risk
a. You breastfeed 'Leontyn' 26% (compared to babies not
(one year minimum) breastfed)
b. Leontyn enters puberty --
at age 16-18; see Diet
and Exercise sections
c. Married Leontyn has first 45% (compared to women who
term birth before age 20 never give birth)
(first birth between 20-24
reduces BC risk 20%-30%)
d. Leontyn breastfeeds 4-7 years 40% (compared to no breast-
(for 2-3 babies) feeding)
e. Full-term pregnancies every time 50% (compared to women who
'terminate' first
pregnancies)
The 'ABC' risk
f. Second full-term birth before 30 9% (compared to women with
(3rd, 4th, etc. 9% each) no second birth)
g. No ESTROGEN drugs (birth control 25% (compared to women who
pills and hormone replacement take estrogen birth ctl.
therapy) pills and HRT)
[Any medical researcher will tell you that one can not simply
ADD these various percentage reductions to get a total reduction
in risk. So, the 65%-80% total is an educated 'estimate' of
a low risk woman versus a high risk woman]
References:
see Breastfeeding (Chapter R)
see Reproductive/Hormonal Factors (Chapter R)
2. Optimum Exercise - 72% (for moms), 26% (for 'non-moms')
However, to get this reduction, 'Leontyn' must start an average
of at least 3.8 hours/week of vigorous exercise since before
puberty; (she must not overdo exercise, since that will worsen
her health). If young 'Leontyn' exercises at the level of an
athlete, she will also delay puberty about 5 months for every
one year of vigorous exercise according to researchers Rose
Frisch et al. This delay of puberty will reduce her BC risk.
The average age of puberty in the USA in 1860 was between
16 and 17 years. For optimum breast health and overall health
Leontyn should be a vigorous exerciser for almost her entire life.
EXERCISE References: see EXERCISE (Chapter R, all References)
3. Optimum Diet ( + supplements + clean water ) - 40% minimum (75%
maximum) reduction in BC risk. Why such a wide range (40%-75%)
for an optimum diet? How many long term medical studies in
U.S. and Europe have there been where some of the subjects were
on an optimum diet (plus dietary supplements) including?:
a. vegetarian only foods
b. all food fresh, organic and not genetically engineered
c. many cancer preventing foods
d. most food eaten fresh and uncooked
e. purified water for cooking and drinking
f. higher fiber and complex carbohydrate foods mostly
g. full range of vitamin/mineral supplements
h. some study subjects were only consuming healthy oils (egs. flax
oil, virgin olive oil, hemp oil) unheated
The number of such studies (where some subjects have a totally
optimum diet ) equals the total number of flying hippopotmi
( i.e. zero ). How can one be confident of even just a 40%
reduction in BC risk? Consider one study of soy food consumption
(favored by Japanese women with about 80% lower BC risk than
Americans or Canadians) (Dietary effects on breast-cancer risk in
Singapore, The Lancet, H.P. Lee et al, 1991 ;337:1197-1200).
Women in the group consuming the highest amount of soy foods
had a 57% reduced BC risk ( compared to women in the group
consuming the least soy ). The reduction in BC risk was 71%
when the group with the highest ratio of soya food to total
protein consumption was compared to the group with the lowest
ratio of soy/total protein. How about high fiber? In one
study (Dietary Fiber, Beta-Carotene And Breast Cancer: Results
From A Case-Control Study, International Journal of Cancer, Pieter
Van't Veer et al, 1990,45;825-828) the 25% of the total group with
the most fiber consumption had a 58% BC risk reduction relative
to the 25% of the total group with the least fiber consumption.
Another study reported that a diet with low saturated fat and
high vitamin C reduced postmenopausal BC risk by 24%. A 1991
report found that women reduced their breast cancer risk by 67%
95% CI=0.15-0.73) "which was largely attributable to the combin-
ation of low intake of fat and high intake of fermented milk
products and fiber...." (International J Cancer, 1991; 47:649:653)
Drugs in your Diet? -
Everything that goes into your mouth is part of your diet, including
drugs. There is no comprehensive study that estimates how many
breast cancer cases are annually caused by pharmaceutical drugs.
Let's look at just one class of drugs, calcium-channel blockers. In
1997 the prestigious journal The Lancet reported the results of one
study: calcium-channel blockers increase the risk of breast cancer
by 157% (95% CI=1.47-4.49). Readers should be aware that when the
great bulk of new drugs are FDA approved (HPB in Canada) for sale to
the public, NO LONG TERM (i.e. at least 10 year) studies were done
on the breast cancer (or any other cancer) risk of those drugs. Does
this mean that the drug taking public is a herd of guinea pigs? You
be the judge.
DIET References: see DIET, VEGETARIANISM, VITAMIN SUPPLEMENTS, WATER,
CALCIUM-CHANNEL BLOCKERS (chapter R, all References)
4. Total BC risk reduction via an 'optimum' RED Triangle-
80%-90% (relative to women who are 'couch potatoes', eat
poor diets and have unfavorable reproductive/hormonal
factors)
Again, this 80%-90% is an educated estimate and subject
to the following provisos:
a. 'Leontyn' is born with a normal healthy 'genetic profile'
b. from the date of birth onwards there are no 'serious violations'
of a healthy 'RED Triangle'. E.G. Leontyn does not decide at
age 45 that she will start exercising for the first time.
c. factors other than the RED Triangle are no worse than average;
e.g. if Leontyn's environment is very badly poisoned, this
could overwhelm her 'RED badge of courage'.
WARNING
Do not make any changes affecting your health without first consulting
with a trusted medical professional.
copyright Brent Rooney ( [email protected] )