November 2022 Newsletter

In the past few newsletters, I’ve discussed the basic cause of cancers (mutations in DNA), and the role and timing of mammograms in breast cancer screening, as well as the pros and cons of self-examination, and the role of BRCA genes and why they’re important to know about.

This month, as we ease into the holidays, I feel we can have a bit of fun, and food is always an interesting topic to talk about.

Why and how food may affect our risk of developing cancer is a discussion all on its own.

However, to sum it up, some foods, especially excessively processed foods, are the main culprit in increasing our cancer risk. Examples of such foods are packaged breads and buns; sweet or savory packaged snacks; industrialized confectionery and desserts; sodas and sweetened drinks; meat balls, poultry and fish nuggets, and other reconstituted meat products transformed with addition of preservatives other than salt (for example, nitrites); instant noodles and soups; frozen or shelf stable ready meals.

This 2018 study looked at the diets of more than 100 000 participant, and followed them for five years for the development of cancers. What they found was, a 10% increase in the proportion of ultra-processed foods in the diet was associated with significant increases of 12% in the risk of overall cancer and 11% in the risk of breast cancer.

The possible reasons for this finding are complex, and include, firstly, a greater risk of obesity, an increase in salt that contributes toward the risk of gastric cancers, and a reduced consumption of fiber that increases the risk of colorectal and breast cancer. A second hypothesis for the increased risk of cancer with ultra-processed foods could be due to the wide range of additives that are found in these foods. More than 250 different additives are authorized for addition to food products in Europe and the US, some of which may be carcinogenic. And thirdly, food processing especially heat treatments produce contaminants (for example, acrylamide) in ultra-processed products that may be toxic.

So, what foods should we eat?

Here are 8 foods that are both tasty and healthy, and may help reduce your risk of breast cancer.

And if you’re looking for delicious recipes, I love Nisha Madhulika, a home chef from India with 13 million followers on YouTube.

I want to stress, even with the best diets in the world, you still need regular breast cancer screenings. if you have any concerns about your health, you should consult your healthcare provider, this newsletter, and the Internet in general is NOT a doctor. However, it is a good place to gather information, I found the Susan G. Komen website particularly helpful.