Breast Cancer and Insulin Resistance

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in women. It’s especially important to highlight this during Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Breast cancer risk is influenced by both genetics and health factors such as obesity and metabolic syndrome.

Metabolic syndrome includes conditions like hypertension, diabetes, impaired glucose tolerance, high cholesterol, and elevated triglycerides. These factors are also risk factors for heart disease. What all of these health conditions have in common is insulin resistance (IR).

Insulin resistance goes hand-in-hand with high insulin levels (hyperinsulinemia). The metabolic conditions listed above are often blamed on obesity. However, it’s not just body fat but overall metabolic health that appears to be linked with an increased risk of breast cancer.

While excess insulin is often associated with obesity, some overweight women have normal insulin levels, while some women of normal weight have elevated insulin. It’s the high insulin levels that seem to be the true driver of health risks. Research has shown that high insulin increases the risk of recurrence and even death in women with early-stage breast cancer.

What Can You Do About This?

Always consult with your doctor to get a comprehensive medical opinion on your health needs.

Exercise

Exercise regularly, aiming for 5 to 7 days a week. Physical activity, especially cardiovascular exercise, makes your muscles more responsive to insulin, meaning you will need less insulin to regulate your blood sugar. This reduction in insulin levels is a significant health benefit of exercise.

Diet

Avoid foods that cause large insulin spikes, such as sugar and refined flour. Focus on consuming protein with every meal, and include healthy fats as well. Don’t eat carbohydrates alone—pair them with protein and healthy fats. Vegetables, which are low-insulin triggers, are the exception to this rule. In general, aim for balanced meals to help regulate insulin levels.

6 Proven Steps to Minimize Your Breast Cancer Risk

Breast cancer could be a frightening reality that one in seven women will face within their lifetime. Every 13 minutes another woman dies from breast cancer, a disease that has more than tripled in incidence over the past 50 years. While there are risk factors that are beyond our control, like genetic predisposition, researchers are continually revealing newly discovered causes and finding that environmental and synthetic substances are at the root of much of the breast cancer epidemic.

There is no surefire way to prevent breast cancer, but even a genetic predisposition doesn't mean a death sentence. Studies show that 10% of breast cancer cases today are caused by genetics, while the other 90% have unknown origins. Even with a predisposition, it's necessary to be exposed to hormone-altering substances to set the disease in motion.

At the root of breast cancer lies the harmful culprit: estrogen. An overabundance of estrogen can cause cancerous cells to proliferate and lead to breast cancer. While the body generates a certain amount of estrogen over our lifetimes, certain synthetic substances, like pesticides and plastics, have the power to mimic estrogen once they enter the body.

1. Pull the Plug on EMFs

Electromagnetic Fields (EMFs) are generated by all electrical sources, whether they're plugged into a wall or powered by batteries. The concern on EMFs began in the 1970s when a link was established between radiation from power lines and childhood leukemia. Since then, research has established links between EMF waves and breast cancer.

A study conducted by the Midwest Research Institute found that women exposed to high levels of EMFs showed significantly higher levels of estrogen than normal. The FDA recommends "prudent avoidance" of EMFs:

• Keep appliances unplugged when not in use
• Maintain distance from operating appliances
• Move alarm clocks away from beds
• Avoid standing near microwaves in use
• Have your home wiring checked by a licensed electrician

2. Discover a New Layer in Ozone

The water that comes from your tap is treated with chlorine to kill dangerous microorganisms. However, when chlorine mixes with organic substances, dangerous byproducts called organochlorines are created. A Hartford, Connecticut study found that women with breast cancer have 50-60% higher levels of organochlorines in their breast tissue.

England began using ozone to treat their nation's drinking water in 2002. Ozone treatment:

• Destroys disease-causing microbes
• Eliminates chlorine byproducts
• Creates alkaline water that promotes health

3. Be an All-Natural Beauty

The cancer-causing agent paraben is used in more beauty products than any other synthetic ingredient (second only to water). Used as a preservative, parabens can mimic estrogen in the body. A recent study found parabens in human breast cancer tissue.

Solution: Choose all-natural beauty products from health food stores.

4. End the Heavy Metal Revolution

Heavy metals like cadmium, copper, cobalt, nickel, lead, mercury and tin all exhibit estrogen-like activity in the body. Exposure can precipitate early menstruation, extending lifetime exposure to estrogen.

Ways to reduce exposure:

• Limit fish consumption (high mercury)
• Have silver amalgam fillings safely removed
• Consider heavy metal detoxification

5. Pick Your Produce Wisely

Conventional produce contains dangerous hormone-altering chemicals. The EPA considers 60% of herbicides, 90% of fungicides and 30% of insecticides to be carcinogenic.

Solution: Buy organic produce which is free of toxic chemicals and more nutritious.

6. Go Wild with Free Range

Hormones used in livestock cause breast cancer cells to proliferate. Grass-fed meats:

• Contain no antibiotics or growth hormones
• Are lower in fat and calories
• May reduce diabetes risk