Breast cancer is the #1 cancer in women resulting in 40,000 deaths per year in the U.S.  Studies finding that lifestyle choices make up the main causes of breast cancer.  Also, the habits associated with lowering the risk for breast cancer are the same habits that are good for your health overall. 

Butter, beef, pork, well done or processed meat, deep fried foods, white bread, alcohol (over 1 drink per day), and regular pasta from refined flour all increase the risk of developing breast cancer.  Whole grains, vegetables (especially raw), beans, lentils, fiber, olive and vegetable oils, tofu, yogurt, fruits, vitamin C, vitamin D, folate, calcium, melatonin, and zinc all have been associated with lower risk.  Gaining weight increases risk while losing weight decreases risk.  Breastfeeding, bearing children earlier in life and having more children, and exercise lower the breast cancer risk.  Traffic fumes and cigarettes appear to increase the breast cancer risk.  

All of the above items which are causes of breast cancer are also unhealthy habits.  All of the above good items are also good health habits with the exception of eggs, which are mildly bad.  Women with dense breasts are also at greater risk than those with more fatty tissue. Tamoxifene and raloxifene medications are far too expensive to be cost-effective.  

Mammograms are of limited value and do not appear cost-effective until at least age 50 and then probably every two years, certainly not annually.  Unfortunately, many women rely on mammograms instead of good health habits.  Every one of the above good health habits help additional areas of health besides just lowering breast cancer.  The payoff for healthy living is very good.

Alcohol Two Drinks, Physical Inactivity, and Lack of Breast Feeding Factors: Using population-based survey and cancer registry data for 41 subpopulations of European-American females ages 40-79 and ranges of relative risk (RR) estimates from the literature, of 13,019 breast cancers diagnosed annually in California, as many as 2,604 are attributable to drinking 2 or more drinks per day, 1,953 attributable to physical inactivity, and 1,432 attributable to never breastfeeding. Population attributable risk of breast cancer in white women associated with immediately modifiable risk factors. Clarke CA, et al. BMC Cancer 2006 Jun 27;6(1):170.

Antibiotics Increase Breast Cancer: Researchers compared the antibiotic use of 2,266 women with breast cancer to that of 7,953 women without breast cancer. Women who took any type of antibiotics for more than 500 days - or had more than 25 prescriptions - over an average period of 17 years (12% of the women) had more than twice the risk of breast cancer as women who had not taken any antibiotics. Even women who had between one and 25 prescriptions (70%) over an average period of 17 years had an increased risk; they were about 1.5 times more likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer than women who didn't take any antibiotics (18%). Univ. Washington. JAMA 2/17/04  

Antibiotic Use Not Linked in Two Studies: Using information from the U.K. General Practice Research Database on 1268 cases of breast cancer and 6291 female controls, antibiotic prescriptions (penicillins, cephalosporins, sulfonamides, macrolides, tetracyclines, quinolones, metronidazole, and nitrofurantoin) recorded up to 1 year before the index date found the odds ratios of breast cancer for 0, 1-50, 51-100, 101-500, and 501 or more cumulative days of antibiotic use were 1.0 (reference), 1.0, 0.9, 0.9, and 1.2. Antibiotics and the risk of breast cancer. Kaye JA, et al. Boston UniversityA. . Epidemiol 2005 Sep;16(5):688-90. Ed: This is a smaller and much shorter study. However, a Danish study agreed with the British study. Br J Cancer 2005 Feb 14;92(3):594-6.

Antibiotics Small Link to Cancer: Probably Not Causal: Using New Zealand data on 6678 patients with a newly diagnosed cancer, there was a slightly increased odds ratio for breast cancer was seen with penicillin, 1.07. Penicillin was also associated with an increased OR with lung and respiratory cancer, 1.13, and skin neoplasms, 1.05. Significant associations were seen between macrolides and leukaemia, 1.15, lung and respiratory cancers, 1.23 and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, 1.26. Tetracyclines were significantly associated with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, 1.12. Cephalosporins only showed a significant association with leukaemia, 1.35, sulphonamides with colorectal cancers, 1.12, and 'other' antibiotic classes with bladder and renal cancers, 1.34. The authors conclude that it is most likely that antibiotic exposure represents a confounding factor rather than a causation for breast cancer and other cancer types. Antibiotic exposure and breast cancer in New Zealand. Didham RC, et al. University of Otago, New Zealand. . Breast Cancer Res Treat 2005 Jul;92(2):163-7.

Bean Curd, Fish, Green-yellow Vegetables & Potato Lower Breast Cancer: A Japanese study of 1,118 with cancer and 36,944 without found decreasing trends of breast cancer risk were associated with intake of bean curd, green-yellow vegetables, potato or sweet potato, chicken and ham or sausage in premenopausal women, while in postmenopausal women a risk reduction was associated with a more frequent intake of boiled, broiled and/or raw fish. Jpn J Cancer Res 1995 Feb;86(2):146-54

Beans and Lentils Helped in Large Prospective Study: In an 8 year follow-up of 90,630 women in the Nurses Health Study II, researchers found no benefit from flavonols and there were no associations seen between individual flavonols such as kaempferol, quercetin and myricetin and breast cancer risk. Among the major food sources of flavonols, they found a significant inverse association with intake of beans or lentils (0.76 for 2 or more servings per week vs. less than 1/month) but not with tea, onions, apples, string beans, broccoli, green pepper and blueberries. Dietary flavonols and flavonol-rich foods intake and the risk of breast cancer. Adebamowo CA, Cho E, et al. Harvard. Int J Cancer. 2004 Dec 17

Bread and Pasta from Refined Flour Bad: 1953 subjects with cancer of the colon-rectum (median age = 62), and 5155 hospital controls were interviewed in six Italian areas. The validated food frequency questionnaire included questions on 78 foods and recipes and specific questions on individual fat intake pattern. Significant trends of increasing breast and colorectal cancer risk with increasing intake emerged for bread and pasta, pork and processed meats and potatoes (breast cancer only), cakes and desserts (colon-rectum cancers only), and refined sugar. Most vegetables were inversely associated with cancer of the colon and rectum, whereas only carrots and raw vegetables seemed to lower breast cancer risk. High fruit intake was associated only with a reduction of rectal cancer. Total energy intake was directly associated with all cancer sites. Among macronutrients, high intake of starch and saturated fat seemed to lead to an increase of cancer risk. High intakes of polyunsaturated fatty acids (chiefly derived from olive oil and seed oils) were protective. Among micronutrients, beta-carotene, vitamin E, and calcium showed inverse associations with breast and colorectal cancer risk. 

Breastfeeding Markedly Reduces Breast Cancer Risk: Western women could reduce their breast cancer risk by nearly 60 per cent if they returned to pre-industrial levels of fertility and breastfeeding. The new findings help explain why breast cancer, virtually unknown 200 years ago, is now a major killer. Having an average of six children and breastfeeding them for two years would reduce the incidence of breast cancer to third world levels 19^th century nuns had 6.3% breast CA, similar to modern women. Cancer Research UK pooling data from 47 studies - involving over 150,000 women in 30 countries - has conclusively proved the link. Returning to pre-industrial levels of fertility and breastfeeding would slash the current UK rate of breast cancer from 6.3 per cent to 2.7 per cent, the researchers estimate. For each child a woman has, her risk of the disease declines by 7.0 per cent. On top of this, for every year that she breast feeds, her risk declines by 4.3 per cent. Lancet 360:186, 7/02.

Calcium Blood Levels: Higher Less Likely Develop Cancer: In a study of 7,847 women followed for 18 years with 437 developing breast cancer, in premenopausal women, serum calcium levels were inversely associated with breast cancer risk in a dose-response manner. The adjusted RR of breast cancer was in the 2nd calcium quartile 0.91, in the 3rd quartile 0.89, and in the 4th quartile 0.56, as compared to the 1st calcium quartile. In postmenopausal overweight women (BMI > 25), breast cancer risk was higher in calcium quartiles 2-4 as compared to the 1st quartile. Serum calcium and breast cancer risk: results from a prospective cohort study of 7,847 women. Almquist M, et al. Malmo University Hospital, Sweden, . Cancer Causes Control 2007 Apr 5.

Chemotherapy Helped Surgery Survival of Breast Cancer: In a 28.5 year follow-up of three randomized studies by the Istituto Nazionale Tumori in Milan, Italy, researchers found that the use of cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, and fluorouracil (CMF) in patients with operable breast cancer significantly reduced the risk of relapse. Adjuvant CMF was found to reduce the relative risk of relapse (HR 0.71, P = 0.005) and death (0.79, P = 0.04). Administration of CMF for 12 cycles does not seem superior to a shorter administration of six cycles. In the node negative and oestrogen receptor negative trial, intravenous CMF significantly reduced the relative risk of relapse of disease (0.65, P = 0.009) and death (0.65, P = 0.01) at a median follow up of 20 years. 30 years' follow up of randomised studies of adjuvant CMF in operable breast cancer: cohort study. Gianni Bonadonna et al. BMJ  1/29/2005;330:217. 

Childbearing Delay Increases Breast Cancer Risk: In a study of 80,219 women in Iceland, 1,120 had breast cancer. They were compared to 10,537 controls, individually matched to the cases on birth year and age when attending. Decreased risk associated with young age at first birth and increasing duration of breast feeding became less pronounced with advancing age at diagnosis. A reduced risk associated with an increasing number of births was not detected in women diagnosed under the age of 40. An increased risk associated with giving first birth after 30 years of age was mainly detected in women who had only given 1 birth and were diagnosed under the age of 40 (OR = 7.06). A positive association with height and especially with weight was confined to women diagnosed after the age of 55. Int J Cancer 2002 Apr 1;98(4):604-8 

Cholesterol Lowering Meds Might Lower Breast Cancer Risk: A Univ. Pittsburgh study by Jane Cauley of 7528 women over age 65 in an osteoporosis study with seven years follow-up. 280 women were on statins and 300 on other cholesterol lowering meds including gemfibrozil and niacin. Those on cholesterol lowering meds had a 68% lower rate of breast CA. A recent Netherlands study also found a 20% lower risk of all cancers among statin users. However, two other studies have not found any cancer lowering benefit. J Women's Health 12/03. Policosanol is probably the best deal for cholesterol lowering at as low as $10 per month vs. over $100 for various statins.

Deep Fried Foods, Red Meat Bad; Soy Good: red meat and freshwater fish was related to a moderately elevated risk of breast cancer risk. Stratified analyses showed that the positive association with red meat intake was primarily restricted to those who used deep-frying cooking method, particularly among those who deep-fried foods to well-done (odds ratio, 1.92; highest versus the lowest quintile; P 0.002). On the other hand, high intake of nonhydrogenated soybean cooking oil was related to a reduced risk of breast cancer among women who never deep-fried animal foods (odds ratio, 0.48; 95% confidence interval, 0.28-0.82 for the highest versus the lowest quintile. Study of 1449 Shanghai women with breast CA and over 1500 controls. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2002 Sep;11(9):801-808

Deep Fried: French Fries in Childhood Linked to Adult Breast Cancer: In a case-control study of 582 American nurses with breast cancer and 1569 without, one additional serving of fries per week at ages three to five increased breast cancer risk by 27 percent. Karin Michels, et al. Brigham and Women's- Harvard  International Journal of Cancer 8/05 

Density Increases Risk 400%: Women with extremely dense breasts are 5 times more likely to develop cancer than those with the most fatty tissue. New England J Medicine 1/18/07

Estrogen Unopposed Increases Only After 20 Years of Usage: Within the Nurses' Health Study, 11,508 postmenopausal women who had a hysterectomy and reported information on estrogen use at baseline (1980) and the population was expanded every 2 years to include women who subsequently became postmenopausal and had a hysterectomy, so that 28 835 women were included in the final follow-up period (2000-2002). A total of 934 invasive breast cancers were included. Breast cancer risk increased with duration of unopposed estrogen use among longer-term users with the highest risk seen in cancers positive for estrogen receptor (ER+) and progesterone receptor (PR+). The multivariate relative risks for current use of unopposed estrogen for less than 5 years (-4%), 5 to 9.9 years (-10%), 10 to 14.9 years (6%), 15 to 19.9 years (18%), and 20 years or longer (42%). Thus, users of unopposed estrogen were at increased risk of breast cancer but only after longer-term use. Unopposed estrogen therapy and the risk of invasive breast cancer. Chen WY, et al. . Arch Int Med 2006 May 8;166(9):1027-32.

Exercise Lowers the Risk: Leslie Bernstein, University of Southern California compared the self-reported exercise habits of 567 women with breast cancer in situ (not yet spreading) with that of 616 women who did not have the disease. The risk of cancer was roughly 35% lower among women who reported any regular exercise activity during their lifetimes compared with physically inactive women. This level of reduced risk remained fairly constant with increasing levels of activity. Unfortunately, no reduction in risk was observed among women with a first-degree relative with the disease. Cancer 11/15/03

Exercise Lowers Breast Cancer Risk: 1,237 breast cancer patients vs. 1,241 controls in Alberta, Canada, found a relative risk of RR 0.58 for those upper quartile vs. lowest in physical activity throughout life with greatest benefit for exercise after menopause. Epid 11/01 12:604-12.

Exercise At Age 35 Helps Lower Breast Cancer Risk: McTiernan, Seattle, 75,000 women ages 50 to 79, in Women's Health Initiative, JAMA 9/9/03. In 5 years of follow-up, 1,780 participants were diagnosed with breast cancer. Women's current exercise habits had the biggest effect on breast cancer risk, followed closely by their habits at age 35. Overall, women who currently walked briskly — or engaged in similarly strenuous exercise — ¼-2½ hours a week were 18% less likely to develop breast cancer than women who were currently sedentary. Women who had engaged regularly in strenuous exercise at age 35 had a 14% lower risk than women who were sedentary at that age. Exercise habits at age 18 or age 50 had only a marginal effect. Effect esp. in underweight women but was also seen in normal weight or somewhat overweight women. Doing the equivalent of 10 hours of brisk walking each week cut breast cancer risk by more than 30% in those women. No benefit in obese women. Other studies have suggested that obese women tend to over-report how much they exercise. 

Fats: Saturated is Bad: The prospective EPIC cohort study in 23 centres from 10 European countries of 521,468 men and women ages 39-69 years with 24,185 developing cancer, one of the most important results is a protective effect of high fiber intake and fish consumption against colorectal cancer, while high red and processed meat intake increase the risk. Regarding lung cancer the first analyses found a protective effect of fruit intake but no association with vegetable consumption. No association was observed between vegetables and fruit intake and the risk of prostate cancer or breast cancer. According to the food diary a daily intake of 35 g of saturated fats doubles the risk of breast cancer compared to women with daily intake of 10 g or less. The European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC). Gonzalez CA. Institut Catala d'Oncologia (ICO), Barcelona, Spain. . Publ Health Nutr 2006 Feb;9(1A):124-6.

Fat Intake, Breast Cancer Not Related: Nurses Health Study 14 year follow-up 88,795 women. No effect from saturated fats, trans fats, unsaturated fats, fish oil, or a percentage of fat even under 20% of diet calories was found. Notes that pooled analysis of 7 international cohort studies found no difference highest vs. lowest quartiles fat consumption. Holmes, Harvard, JAMA 3/10/99;281:914

Fats: Olive and Vegetable Oils Lower Breast Cancer: An Italian case control study of 2,564 with breast cancer found the high quartile of olive oil OR 0.87, other oils (safflower, corn, peanut, soy) OR 0.72 vs. non-users with no benefit from butter or margarine. La Vecchia, Cancer Causes Control ’95;6:545

Food Restriction Helps Mice: Breast CA survival markedly improved with moderate food restriction vs. ad libitum with 5% corn oil but substitution of 20% corn oil or 2% fish oil in ad libitum diets didn’t help. Proc Natl Acad Sci ’95;92:6494

Fruits & Vegetables Said to Lower Breast Cancer: Oregon University. Four servings of fruits and vegetables have a 50% lower risk of breast cancer than women who consume no more than two such servings. 378 women with breast cancer and the diets of 1,070 cancer-free women in Shanghai, China. 108 individual food items, fried and restaurant food, dietary changes, and the use of nutrient supplements and Chinese herbal medicines. Eating at least six eggs a week was also associated with reduced risk of breast cancer. But no association was found between intake of soy or soy products and breast cancer risk. American Association for Cancer Research conference in Phoenix. 10/03. Jackilen Shannon

Ginseng Helps In Vitro: A Beth Israel study found American Ginseng slowed cell proliferation of Breast cancer cells in vitro. J Surg Oncol 12/99. Ed: In vitro studies are of very limited value

Mammograms No Benefit Women Ages 40-49: The 1992 Canadian National Breast Screening Study-1 13 year follow-up study of 50,000 women randomly assigned to annual mammograms or simply usual care found no difference in death rates although breast CA was detected more often in the mammogram group. Univ. of Toronto, Baines, Annals Internal Med 9/3/02

Mammograms Every Two Years After Age 50 Help: In a study of breast cancer mortality during the first 10 years of a mammography screening program in Copenhagen vs. parts of the country without screening, breast cancer mortality was reduced by 25% (RR 0.75) vs. other areas. For women actually participating in screening, breast cancer mortality was reduced by 37%. In a review of other European studies, mammograms every two to five years after age 50 appear helpful in reducing mortality. Breast cancer mortality in Copenhagen after introduction of mammography screening: cohort study. Anne Helene Olsen et al. BMJ  1/29/2005;330:220  

U.S. Mammogram Guidelines Probably Excessive: The Canadian National Breast Screening Study-2 followed 39,000 women aged 50 to 59 who were taught breast self-exams and followed for 13 years. Those randomly assigned to annual mammograms had identical breast cancer mortality: 107 women in the group receiving mammograms plus physical exams died of the disease versus 105 in the exam-only group. U.S. guidelines call for annual mammography plus physical exams for women aged 50 to 69, and possibly for women at increased risk for breast cancer (e.g., a family history of the disease) who are aged 40 to 49 or 70 and older. These guidelines may not be cost-effective. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2000;92:1490-9.

Meat: Beef/Pork Once a Day Increases Risk 56%: In a study of 35,000 British women followed for 7 years, older women who ate one portion a day (57 grams) had a 56% increased risk compared with those who ate none. Those who ate the most processed meat, such as bacon, sausages, ham or meat pies, had a 64% greater risk of breast cancer than those who refrained. Pre-menopausal women had a lower risk. UK does not allow growth hormone for cows or pigs. Janet Cade et al. University of Leeds. British Journal of Cancer 4/07. A US study of 90,000 pre-menopausal women found eating large amounts of red meat doubled young women's breast cancer risk. Having one-and-a-half servings of red meat per day almost doubled the risk of hormone receptor-positive breast cancer compared to three or fewer per week. Archives of Internal Medicine 11/06.

Meat Well Done Increases Breast Cancer: 273 breast cancer patients were compared with 657 without cancer. They selected doneness of meats they ate from photos. Those eating beefsteak, bacon or hamburger cooked very thoroughly had 4.6 times risk of breast cancer probably from heterocyclic amines which cause cancer in animals. Wei Zheng, US. Ca., J Natl Cancer Inst 1998.

Melatonin: Night Work Linked to Increased Risk: Environmental light powerfully suppresses the release of melatonin, which peaks in the middle of the night. This decreased  has been hypothesized to increase the risk of cancer. Evidence from experimental studies supports a link between melatonin and tumor growth. There is also fairly consistent indirect evidence from observational studies for an association between melatonin suppression, using night work as a surrogate, and breast cancer risk. Light at night and cancer risk. Schernhammer E, Schulmeister K. Harvard. Photochem Photobiol. 2004 Apr;79(4):316-8

Melatonin Associated with Lower Cancer Risk:  Exposure to light at night suppresses melatonin production, and night-shift work has been associated with an increased risk of breast cancer. In a prospective case-control study nested within the Nurses' Health Study II cohort, researchers measured the concentration of the major melatonin metabolite, 6-sulphatoxymelatonin (aMT6s), in the first morning urine of 147 women with invasive breast cancer and 291 matched controls. The relative risk of invasive breast cancer for women in the highest quartile of urinary aMT6s compared with those in the lowest was 41% lower (OR = 0.59). This association was unchanged after adjustment for breast cancer risk factors or plasma sex hormone levels but was slightly weakened when the analysis included 43 case patients with in situ breast cancer and their 85 matched control subjects (OR = 0.70). The exclusion of women who had a history of night-shift work left the findings largely unchanged. Urinary melatonin levels and breast cancer risk. Schernhammer ES, et al. Brigham and Women's- Harvard. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2005 Jul 20;97(14):1084-7.

Melatonin Might Be Involved: Environmental light powerfully suppresses the release of melatonin, which peaks in the middle of the night. This decreased  has been hypothesized to increase the risk of cancer. Evidence from experimental studies supports a link between melatonin and tumor growth. There is also fairly consistent indirect evidence from observational studies for an association between melatonin suppression, using night work as a surrogate, and breast cancer risk. Light at night and cancer risk. Schernhammer E, Schulmeister K. Harvard. Photochem Photobiol. 2004 Apr;79(4):316-8

Melatonin: Mixed Evidence: In the prospective Guernsey III Study, the concentrations of 6-sulfatoxymelatonin, the main metabolite of melatonin in urine and a validated marker of circulating melatonin levels, were no significantly different in 127 patients diagnosed with breast cancer during follow-up vs. 353 matched controls. Melatonin and breast cancer: a prospective study. Travis RC, Allen DS, et al. University of Oxford. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2004 Mar 17;96(6):475-82; An inhibition of the pineal function with pinealectomy or a constant light regimen stimulates mammary carcinogenesis, whereas the light deprivation inhibits the carcinogenesis. Epidemiological findings of increased risk of breast cancer in night shift workers, flight attendants, radio and telegraph operators and of decreased risk in blind women are in accordance with experiments in rodents. Treatment with pineal indole hormone melatonin inhibits mammary carcinogenesis in pinealectomized rats, in animals kept at the standard light/dark regimen or at the constant illumination regimen. Anisimov. Crit Rev Oncol Hematol. 2003 Jun;46(3):221-34.

Melatonin: Breast: Studies have shown that melatonin both treats and prevent breast cancer induced by DMBA in rats.  The authors speculate that it could do the same in humans who have breast cancer induced by other agents. Lenoir et al. Paris, France. Breast Cancer Res. 2005;7(4):R470-6.

Melatonin Lengthened Survival and Increased Latency in Induced Rat Cancer: Melatonin started one month before DMBA was applied to induce breast cancers. Saez MC, et al. University of Extremadura, Spain. Mol Cell Biochem. 2005 Jan;268(1-2):25-31.

Melatonin: Cancer: Epidemiological observations on increased risk of breast cancer in night shift workers, flight attendants, radio and telegraph operators and on decreased risk in blind women are in accordance with the results of experiments in rodents. Treatment with pineal indole hormone melatonin inhibits carcinogenesis in pinealectomized rats or animals kept at the standard light/dark regimen (LD) or at the constant illumination (LL) regimen. Neuro Endocrinol Lett. 2002 Jul;23 Suppl 2:28-36

Melatonin: Rats with Advanced Tumors Live Longer with Melatonin: Melatonin increases the survival time of animals with untreated mammary tumours: Neuroendocrine stabilization. Saez MC, et al. University of Extremadura, Badajoz, Spain

Menarche Early Increases Breast Cancer: 1,811 sets of identical and fraternal female twins. In each set, one or both twins had breast cancer. The researchers asked about their age at puberty and menopause, pregnancies and other risk factors and looked for patterns. One thing stood out: For identical twins with cancer, the first twin to reach puberty was five times more likely to get the disease first. The link was even stronger when menstruation began early, before the age of 12. Other factors — a later age at menopause, fewer children and a later first pregnancy — made no difference. NEJM 6/5/03

Milk Thistle May Decrease Prostate, Breast Cancer: Several lab studies have shown the cancer chemopreventive and anti-carcinogenic effects of silymarin, a flavonoid antioxidant isolated from milk thistle, in long-term tumorigenesis models and in human prostate, breast and cervical carcinoma cells. Cancer Lett 1999 Dec 1;147(1-2):77-84. These effects of silymarin may be due to the major active constituent, silibinin. Silibinin could be a useful agent for the intervention of hormone-refractory human prostate cancer.

Olive Oil Linked to Much Lower Breast Cancer: In a case-control study of 291 women with confirmed breast cancer and 464 controls, the highest quintile of monounsaturated fat intake was significantly related to a 48% lower risk of breast cancer (odds ratio = 0.52). Regarding olive oil, the odds ratio for women in the three upper quintiles of consumption (> or =8.8 g/day) was 0.27. Olive oil consumption and risk of breast cancer in the Canary Islands: a population-based case-control study. Garcia-Segovia P, et al. University of Las Palmas of Gran Canaria, Spain. . Publ Health Nutr 2006 Feb;9(1A):163-7.

Protein and Fat Increased Breast Cancer; Fiber and Carbohydrates Decreased: In a study of total dietary fiber (TDF) and fat, and the age-adjusted mortality from breast cancer (MBC) in Japanese females during the period from 1948 to 2000, the time lag was estimated for a 0-35-year delay in mortality. The partial correlation analysis indicated that the individual intakes of total fat (r=0.688), animal protein (r=0.657), carbohydrate (r=-0.886), and plant protein (r=-0.770) were significantly (p<0.01) correlated with breast cancer mortality. Each of these coefficients of correlation changed and reached a maximum value with increasing time lag. The estimated time lag values for the influence of fat, animal protein and TDF were 20-32 years, 19-31 years and 9-35 years, respectively. It is deduced from the results that the increased MBC in Japanese women is related to the long-term effect from the intake of a high-fat, high-animal protein and low-fiber diet typical in the western world. Time-lag estimate between dietary intake and breast cancer mortality in Japan. Harashima E, et al. Jissen Women's University, Tokyo Japan. . Asian Pac J Clin Nutr 2007 Mar;16(1):193-198.

Protein High, Carbohydrates Low Increases Mortality: Five year follow-up on 22.944 Greek adults in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and nutrition (EPIC) found 455 deaths. Higher intake of carbohydrates was associated with significant reduction of total mortality, whereas higher intake of protein was associated with nonsignificant increase of total mortality (per decile, mortality ratios 0.94, and 1.02 respectively). Even more predictive of higher mortality were high values of the additive low carbohydrate-high protein score (per 5 units, mortality ratio 1.22). Positive associations of this score were noted with respect to both cardiovascular and cancer mortality. Prolonged consumption of diets low in carbohydrates and high in protein is associated with an increase in total mortality. Low-carbohydrate-high-protein diet and long-term survival in a general population cohort. Trichopoulou A, et al. University of Athens, Greece. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 29 November 2006

Raloxifene (Evista) No Help for Hip, Wrist Fractures; Only Spine; Did Reduce Breast Cancer: In the huge 3-year, 7700-postmenopausal woman DB PC "MORE" study, researchers found no impact on hip or other nonvertebral fractures from raloxifene, but there was a 75% decrease in invasive breast cancer and an increase in spinal bone density. Side-effects include leg cramps, clotting, arthralgias, rhinitis, headaches, and hot flashes. JAMA 1999;281:2189-97. Ed: Research suggests that calcium and vitamin D also cause major decreases in breast cancer.

Raloxifene (Evista) Reduces Breast Cancer But Cost Extremely High: Mammograms were routinely done in 10,575 women in DB PC trials. The 7,108 on raloxifene in 19,381 person-years had 10 cases of invasive breast cancer (0.52 per 1000 person-years). For placebo, there was 1.62 per 1000 person-years. (PDR 2004 Evista Insert). At $1000 per year cost, this is roughly $900,000 per case of invasive cancer prevented. Since breast cancer kills roughly 50% of its victims, the cost per life saved would be $1,800,000, a very high figure. The fracture-prevention benefit of raloxifene to women taking vitamin K in addition of adequate doses of vitamin D (800-1000 IU/day) and calcium (1000 mg/day) has never been determined and there may be no benefit at all.

Smoking Early, Smoking Over 1 PPD, and No Childbirth Increase Breast Cancer: Canadian study of women with breast CA found 70% increase CA if start smoking within 5 years of menarche. Smokers after menopause actually have slightly lower rate of breast CA. Studied 1000 women with CA and 1000 without all over 75yo. Lancet 10/5/02.

Self-Examinations Also Waste of Time: A study of 260,000 Chinese women. Journal of the National Cancer Institute 10/02

Soy, Tea Help Mice: Harvard Jin-Rong Zhou injected mice with breast and prostate CA. Those on soy isoflavones and green or black tea had 80% fewer tumors and smaller tumor size. Soy and tea benefit were more than sum of their individual benefits. Sci News 5/13/00

Teen Eggs, Vegetable Fats, Fiber Good; Butter Bad: Lindsay Frazier, Harvard Medical, 121,707 women about their eating habits when they were teenagers. More eggs, vegetable fat and dietary fiber between the ages of 12 and 18 were less likely to develop breast cancer. High levels of butter were more likely. Breast Cancer Research 2/23/03

Transforming Growth Factor Beta Receptor 1*6A: (TGFBR1*6A) may increase risk of breast cancer by 48 percent, ovarian cancer by 53 percent, and colon cancer by 38 percent. Boris Pasche, Northwestern's Cancer Genetics Program, Gene may be to blame for approximately 7 percent of all breast cancers, nearly 11 percent of all ovarian cancers and 5.5 percent of all colon cancers, across a variety of ethnic groups. BRCA1 and BRCA2 that have been implicated in an estimated 5 to 10 percent of all breast and ovarian cancers. 8/28/03.

Tamoxifine: An Extremely Wasteful $$$ Prevention Breast Cancer: In a DB study of 13,175 women either over 60, or with a history of lobular breast cancer in situ, or an algorithm risk greater than 1.66% of developing cancer were treated with tamoxifine 20 mg/d for five years at $6,000 med cost per woman, the treatment prevented 120 cases of breast cancer (244 vs. 124) although it caused 19 more early endometrial cancer (18 vs. 37), 14 more strokes, 12 more pulmonary embolisms, and 70 more cataracts. Fisher, J Natl Cancer Inst 90:1371, 9/13/98. That's $800,000 medication cost per cancer prevented! 130 women had to take medication for five years to prevent one cancer or 129 of 130 women took the medicine for 5 years but received no benefit.

Traffic Fumes Increase Breast Cancer Risk: According to the University of Buffalo case-control Western New York Exposures and Breast Cancer study of women 35-79, higher exposure around the time of first menstruation to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), potential carcinogens found in traffic emissions, was associated with increased risk of premenopausal breast cancer. For postmenopausal women, higher exposure to PAHs at the time of the first birth was associated with increased risk. Neither association was found in women with a history of smoking. American Association for Cancer Research Convention, Anaheim, Calif. Jing Nie, et al. Ed: This is similar to several studies showing traffic fumes and natural gas fumes from kitchen stoves increasing asthma risks. 

Vegetables Raw, Whole Grains, Folate, Zinc, Copper, Vitamin C Breast Cancer Risk Lower: In Heidelberg, Germany, 310 breast cancer cases were matched to 353 controls. Intake of raw vegetables (highest vs. lowest quartile adjusted odds ratio [OR] 0.51), total vegetables (OR = 0.62), and whole-grain (OR = 0.57) products was inversely associated with breast cancer risk. Adjusted ORs were as follows: vitamin C (OR = 0.49), folate equivalents (OR = 0.47), b-carotene (OR = 0.46), zinc (OR = 0.35), and copper (OR = 0.51). In contrast, no significant association with risk was seen for an increased intake of fruits, cooked vegetables, fiber, calcium, manganese, or iron. Raw and cooked vegetables, fruits, selected micronutrients, and breast cancer risk: a case-control study in Germany. Adzersen KH, Jess P, Freivogel KW, Gerhard I, Bastert G. Nutr Cancer. 2003;46(2):131-7.

Vitamins and Mineral in Mega Doses Not Much Benefit on Survival In Cancer Patients: Mega-doses of beta-carotene, vitamin C, niacin, selenium, coenzyme Q10, and zinc in addition to standard therapies were compared with matched controls. The 90 treated patients were prescribed combinations from three to six of the vitamins and minerals listed above. Trend toward less likely die of breast cancer (p=.19) but overall survival very weak trend (p=.36), Mega-dose vitamins and minerals in the treatment of non-metastatic breast cancer: an historical cohort study. Lesperance ML, Olivotto IA, Forde N, Zhao Y, Speers C, Foster H, Tsao M, MacPherson N, Hoffer A. Breast Cancer Res Treat 2002 Nov;76(2):137-43

Vitamins A, C, E, Folate, Carotenoids No Benefit: In a Harvard 8-year follow-up of 90,655 nurses, these vitamins had no impact except for vitamin A was helpful for smokers. Premenopausal intakes of vitamins A, C, and E, folate, and carotenoids, and risk of breast cancer. Cho E, Spiegelman D, Hunter DJ, Chen WY, Zhang SM, Colditz GA, Willett WC. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2003 Aug;12(8):713-20

Vitamin D and Calcium Appear to Markedly Reduce Breast Cancer: For women ages 40-60 with screening mammograms, multivariate logistic regression found that for increasing vitamin D intake (<50, 50-99, 100-199, and >/=200 IU/d), adjusted odds ratios (OR) for extensive densities were 1.00 (reference), 0.51, 0.37, and 0.24, respectively (P = 0.0005). For increasing calcium intake (<500, 500-749, 750-999, and >/=1,000 mg/d), adjusted ORs were 1.00, 0.63, 0.25, and 0.24 (P = 0.0006). This suggests that dietary vitamin D and calcium could reduce breast cancer risk possibly through influences on breast tissue morphology. Vitamin d, calcium, and mammographic breast densities. Berube S, Diorio C, Verhoek-Oftedahl W, Brisson J. Quebec. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2004 Sep;13(9):1466-72

Vitamin D Deficiency and Vitamin D Receptor Gene Polymorphism Increase Risk Together: Low levels of 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25(OH)D) and polymorphisms in the vitamin D receptor gene (VDR) have been found separately to increase risk of breast cancer. In a case-control study of breast cancer patients (n=179) and controls (n=179), women with 25(OH)D levels <50nM and the bb BsmI VDR genotype are 6.82 times more likely to have breast cancer than subjects with levels of 25(OH)D>50nM and either the BB or Bb genotype (P<0.001). Plasma 25-hydroxy vitamin D concentrations, vitamin D receptor genotype and breast cancer risk in a UK Caucasian population. Lowe LC, Guy M, et al. St. George's Hospital Medical School, London, UK. Eur J Cancer. 2005 May;41(8):1164-1169

Weight Gain Increases Breast Cancer Risk: Using the prospective Nurses' Health Study of 87,143 postmenopausal women initially ages 30-55 and free of cancer and followed for up to 26 years (1976-2002), 4393 cases of invasive breast cancer were documented. Women who gained 55 pounds or more since age 18 years were at a 45% increased risk of breast cancer (P<.001), with a stronger 98% increased association among women who have never taken postmenopausal hormones. Compared with weight maintenance, women who gained 10.0 kg or more since menopause were at an 18% increased risk of breast cancer (P = .002). Women who had never used postmenopausal hormones, lost 10.0 kg or more since menopause, and kept the weight off were at a 57% lower risk than those who maintained weight. Overall, 15.0% of breast cancer may be attributable to weight gain of 2.0 kg or more since age 18 years and 4.4% to weight gain of 2.0 kg or more since menopause. Adult weight change and risk of postmenopausal breast cancer. Eliassen AH, et al. Harvard. . JAMA 2006 Jul 12;296(2):193-201.

Whole Grains, Raw Vegetables Decrease Risk: In a case-control study of breast cancer, 310 women with primary breast cancer were matched to 353 controls. Intake of raw vegetables, total vegetables, and whole-grain products was inversely associated with breast cancer risk (highest vs. lowest quartile adjusted odds ratio [OR] 0.51; OR = 0.62; and OR = 0.57). Also, high intake of some selected vitamins and minerals possessing putative DNA-stabilizing properties displayed significant inverse risk associations. Adjusted ORs were as follows: vitamin C (OR = 0.49), folate equivalents (OR = 0.47), b-carotene (OR = 0.46), zinc (OR = 0.35), and copper (OR = 0.51). In contrast, no significant association with risk was seen for an increased intake of fruits, cooked vegetables, fiber, calcium, manganese, or iron. Raw and cooked vegetables, fruits, selected micronutrients, and breast cancer risk: a case-control study in Germany. Adzersen KH, et al. University of Heidelberg, Germany. . Nutr Cancer 2003;46(2):131-7.

Yogurt: Breast Cancer Patients Consumed Less Yogurt, More Dairy: In a Uruguayan study of 111 breast cancer patients and 222 controls, after controlling for age, years of urban status, education, body mass index, age at menarche, menopausal status, family history of breast cancer, number of childbirths, total energy and total fruits, a multivariate analysis found that high intakes of whole milk, chocolate milk and Gruyere cheese were associated with significant increased risk of breast cancer, whereas ricotta cheese and skim yoghurt were associated with significant decreased risks. Dairy foods and risk of breast cancer: a case-control study in Montevideo, Uruguay. Ronco AL, De Stefani E, Dattoli R. Eur J Cancer Prev. 2002 Oct;11(5):457-63

Yogurt: Breast Cancer Patients Consumed Less Yogurt; More Cheese and Milk: In an impressively large French case-control study of 1,010 breast cancer cases and 1,950 controls with nonmalignant diseases, the risk of breast cancer was found to be positively associated with frequency of cheese consumption and the level of fat in the milk consumed. A negative association was found between frequency of yogurt consumption and the risk of breast cancer. No association was found between the consumption of butter and the risk of breast cancer. The positive association between a daily consumption of alcohol and the risk of breast cancer previously reported was not altered when dairy produce consumption was taken into account. Consumption of dairy produce and alcohol in a case-control study of breast cancer. Le MG, Moulton LH, Hill C, Kramar A. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1986 Sep;77(3):633-6

Yogurt: Breast Cancer Patients Consumed Less Yogurt, Buttermilk, Gouda Cheese; Milk No Impact: In a Dutch study of 133 breast cancer patients and 287 controls, the 1 cup/day consumption of fermented milk (yogurt or buttermilk) had a relative risk of breast cancer of 0.63, while Gouda fermented cheese had an RR of 0.56. Milk consumption made no difference in breast cancer rates. Consumption of fermented milk products and breast cancer: a case-control study in The Netherlands. van't Veer P, Dekker JM, Lamers JW, Kok FJ, Schouten EG, Brants HA, Sturmans F, Hermus RJ. Cancer Res. 1989 Jul 15;49(14):4020-3. Ed: Buttermilk causes symptoms of lactose intolerance in susceptible individuals, but live-culture yogurt is very well tolerated. (Am J Clin Nutr. 1984 Dec;40(6):1219-23)

Chemotherapy Helped Surgery Survival: In a 28.5 year follow-up of three randomized studies by the Istituto Nazionale Tumori in Milan, Italy, researchers found that the use of cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, and fluorouracil (CMF) in patients with operable breast cancer significantly reduced the risk of relapse. Adjuvant CMF was found to reduce the relative risk of relapse (HR 0.71, P = 0.005) and death (0.79, P = 0.04). Administration of CMF for 12 cycles does not seem superior to a shorter administration of six cycles. In the node negative and oestrogen receptor negative trial, intravenous CMF significantly reduced the relative risk of relapse of disease (0.65, P = 0.009) and death (0.65, P = 0.01) at a median follow up of 20 years. 30 years' follow up of randomised studies of adjuvant CMF in operable breast cancer: cohort study. Gianni Bonadonna et al. BMJ  1/29/2005;330:217.

Mammograms Every Two Years After Age 50 Help: In a study of breast cancer mortality during the first 10 years of a mammography screening program in Copenhagen vs. parts of the country without screening, breast cancer mortality was reduced by 25% (RR 0.75) vs. other areas. For women actually participating in screening, breast cancer mortality was reduced by 37%. In a review of other European studies, mammograms every two to five years after age 50 appear helpful in reducing mortality. Breast cancer mortality in Copenhagen after introduction of mammography screening: cohort study. Anne Helene Olsen et al. BMJ  1/29/2005;330:220