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Brca Mutation

BRCA1, BRCA2 and Breast Cancer Risk; Are You Doomed?

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The answer to the above question is, of course, a strong yes.  After all, if Angelina Jolie decided to have her breasts removed and the medical community performed the procedure, it must be that severe.

In addition, if you follow the American Cancer Society and the Komen Foundation, you get the idea that all you need to do is get your mammograms on time and everything will be ok.  That way, when you do find breast cancer, you’ve caught it early and your chance of survival is better.  Having just had another close experience with the Komen foundation, the vast majority of walkers in the 3-day still don’t REALLY understand that breast cancer is preventable.  It naturally follows that, if it’s not preventable, we have to develop a miraculous cure.  This miraculous cure will only be found with untold hundreds of millions of dollars being pumped into research and development.

That’s not to say that these organizations do not put money into prevention research and education, but it’s a much smaller portion with a minor emphasis.  Contrast this with the American Institute for Cancer Research, and across the top of the website you get a clear idea that prevention reigns supreme.

As mentioned, many think that breast cancer is inevitable, especially if they have a strong family history or, worse yet, the “breast cancer genes” BRCA1 and BRCA2.  Those women with BRCA mutations (side note: I hate the world “mutations” because it makes it sound like some time of villain in a superhero movie who can’t control the 5 appendages due to a genetic mutation…) have about a 5 times greater risk of developing breast cancer, so the risks are real.

But are they modifiable?

According to this particular study, very much so.  In the Korean Hereditary Breast Cancer Study, enrolling around 2,000 women with hereditary breast cancer, researchers looked at how much soy and animal product intake affected the risk of developing breast cancer in the BRCA gene mutation carriers.  Here’s what they found:

  1. Soy intake whopping 61% lower risk in carriers.
  2. Those with the highest meat consumption led to a 97% higher risk in carriers.
  3. Highest meat consumption led to a 41% higher risk in non-carriers.
  4. These associations were stronger in BRCA2 mutation carriers.
  5. In women who developed breast cancer, the highest intake of soy (but not meat intake) was associated with a 43% lower BRCA-related breast cancer.

Overall, it is clear that the intake of soy and the avoidance of animal products (so basically a plant-based diet) came very close to eliminating the so called “excess” risk associated with the BRCA “mutation.”

As always when I talk about soy, I’m talking about non-processed (i.e. no veggie burgers or veggie hotdogs) and GMO-free soy.  And this study, much like most others, do not take into account the fact that those women who had a longer lifetime exposure to soy were more likely to have the right type of bacteria in their gut to convert protective compounds in soy to the really protective compounds in soy (equol-producers).  If they were able to take this into account, it is likely that the protective effect would’ve been even stronger.

Breast Cancer Prevention Medical Style: As Sick as it Gets

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In no way did I intend on this coinciding with the Angelina Jolie thing, but it is certainly relevant.  Only a small percentage of risk of cancer comes from your genetics.  Even the greatest risk factor we know of for breast cancer, the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, while 80% of these women will go on to develop breast cancer over a lifetime, this means that 20% will not.

Luckily for BRCA1 and BRCA2 carriers, the 20% doesn’t happen merely by chance.  A few examples include:

The list list longer, but you get the idea.  And remember, this is for those women who carry the greatest genetic risks for development of breast cancer.  For everyone else, the picture is far, far brighter.  Some experts believe that genetics play a role in less than 10% of breast cancer cases (which does NOT even take into account the ways to lower the risk for those already at a genetically higher risk).  That leaves you with a much greater than 90% chance to avoid breast cancer over your lifetime.

The list of ways to lower your risk of breast cancer is very long (you can check for specific medical references by scrolling through the breast cancer section of the website by clicking here).  But here are a few potent factors:

  1. No smoking
  2. Exercise
  3. Plant based lifestyle including non-GMO soy and flax
  4. A diet high in omega 3 fats and low in omega 6 fats
  5. An anti-diabetic lifestyle (prediabetes is a massive risk factor for breast cancer)
  6. Stress reduction such as meditation, prayer, biofeedback
  7. Keeping calorie intake on the lower end (calorie restriction without nutrient restriction)

While there are many, many more, just sticking with these 6 will pretty much wipe out all but the highest risks of breast cancer.

However, if you’re not willing to do all this hard work, there is no need to worry because mainstream medicine is trying to ride in on its white horse to save the day.  And of course, this involves better living through chemistry.

In this particular article, researchers evaluate the outcomes of trying to use drugs, specifically the selective estrogen modulating drugs Tamoxifen and Raloxifene.  These drugs are already approved by the FDA to be used in high risk women to prevent breast cancer from occurring.  But just how well did this work out?

  1. Tamoxifen and raloxifene reduced invasive breast cancer by 7 to 9 cases in 1000 women over 5 years.
  2. Neither drug reduced breast cancer–specific or all-cause mortality rates (are you paying attention here?).
  3. Both drugs increased blood clot embolism by 4 cases in 1000 women.
  4. Tamoxifen increased the incidence of endometrial cancer and cataracts.

Wow!  Where do we sign up??  What woman wouldn’t want to drop her risk by 0.9% over 5 years and get the bonus of endometrial cancer or a pulmonary embolism?