What You Never Knew About Cancer and Your Hormones…But Should!

Have you ever wondered if there was a link between hormones and cancer? As we age, our hormones naturally decline and bring forth the onset of symptoms of hormonal imbalance. Having properly balanced hormones is an important aspect of cancer prevention. Suzanne Somers’ new book: Knockout…

The studies are on-going, but appear to suggest several links between hormonal imbalance and cancer.

• Breast Cancer- Imbalances between estrogen and progesterone seem to increase the risk of cancer - specifically estrogen dominance.
• Prostate cancer – There seems to be a link between low testosterone and prostate cancer and a link between high estrogen in men and prostate cancer. High levels of estrogen lower testosterone levels in men, so these possibilities may actually be linked to one another. By controlling high levels of estrogen and replacing testosterone, you may in turn, decrease your risk of prostate cancer.
• Synthetic hormones - The Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) study showed that the combination of Premarin and Provera caused an increase risk of breast cancer in women in the study who were given that combination, called Prempro.
• Synthetic hormones in foods – some meats come from animals that are injected with synthetic hormones and/or antibiotics – consumed in large quantities, these can be harmful so we want to make sure as much as possible that our foods are synthetic-hormone and antibiotic-free. (Synthetic hormones used to treat livestock and other animals generally contain estrogen.) Consider how the animals you eat were fed, because what they eat becomes part of you too - eventually - grain fed meats and wild- raised fish are better for you.
• Oral Estrogens - Estrogens administered orally increase the risk of breast cancer because of the way hormones are broken down when they go through the liver - something called the “first pass effect” - this is avoided when hormones (specifically estrogen) are administered transdermally (through the skin).
• Antioxidants - Free radical damage to our DNA is one of the things that can increase our risk of cancer. Free radicals are molecules that are created when we have exposure to certain elements like environmental pollutants, radiation and cigarette smoke. The free radical has an electron that is unpaired and like a guy in a singles club, he’s looking to “pair up,” but the pairing may not be in the best interest of either party. In this case, the damage that is done by the binding of free radicals is on our DNA, which could cause an increased risk of some cancers.
• Inflammation - Inflammation is a localized reaction of tissues that serves as a defense mechanism when the tissues become irritated, injured or infected. The reaction is typified by redness and swelling. Inflammation is a major cause of disease, including cancer. This is a relatively new finding in medicine, one that scientists have been familiar with for several years but one that is only beginning to be understood by most doctors. We now understand that many things cause our body to create inflammation. While inflammation may be good for us in certain circumstances (as in the case of infection), however it is produced in many other situations that are not good for us. It seems, inflammation is at the root of all diseases. For instance, inflammation around the heart leads to coronary disease and in the brain it leads to Alzheimer’s disease. The body produces certain chemicals such as interleukin 6 and Tumor Necrosis Factor alpha, which in certain circumstances are necessary, but in many other situations can be harmful. There are many factors in our environment that contribute to inflammation.

Some of these include:

• Taking hormones orally - like estrogen.
• Being overweight - fat cells make inflammatory chemicals.
• Lack of exercise - exercise helps decrease Inflammation.
• The quality of our diet - refined sugars and carbohydrates lead to insulin resistance, pre-diabetes or metabolic syndromes and in turn cause huge amounts of inflammation.

What You Can Do to Reduce the Risk

Through lifestyle changes such as eating properly and getting plenty of exercise, we can greatly reduce our risk of cancer and other forms of serious disease.

Hormones:
The first step is getting your hormone levels checked – and adjusted if necessary. Through BHRT, you can use bioidentical hormones to correct the underlying issues associated with hormonal imbalance. Unlike synthetic hormones, bioidentical hormones have not been shown to increase the risk of cancer, like artificial hormones have - so by replacing and balancing your hormones with hormones that are molecule by molecule, identical to the hormones your body produces naturally, you can effectively relieve the symptoms of hormonal imbalance.

BHRT Options:

• Testosterone pellets - Some preliminary research shows a decreased risk of breast cancer in women using testosterone pellets.
• Transdermal Estrogens – transdermal or “topical” estrogens are more effective and much safer than using orally administered estrogens (which are known to cause cancer).

Nutrition, Supplementation & Antioxidants:
There are many supplements that are known for their antioxidant capacity and these supplements may in fact reduce the risk of cancer. Certainly, supplements should not substitute for eating properly and getting a diet antioxidant rich foods. Some of these are selenium, coq10, lycopene, coq10 and alpha lipoid acid. Herbs that are known for antioxidant properties include: grape seed, bilberry, turmeric, ginkgo, milk thistle and others. One of the most important supplements is fish oil it is made up of essential fatty acids. These fatty acids act as a natural anti-inflammatory for our bodies and as mentioned already inflammation is very important to fight. Eating a diet rich in antioxidants is a great way to rid your body of harmful free radicals – which are thought to promote cancer. We need antioxidants. Antioxidants help bind the free radicals (free electrons) safely and make a compound that is not dangerous for you. This is why you hear about the need for foods that are high in antioxidants.

Some of these include:

• Cocoa
• Acai
• Berries
• Brightly colored vegetable
• The catechins in green tea
• Isoflavinoids in soy and whole grains

What we get from these foods are higher levels of certain vitamins that are known for their antioxidant capacity - especially Vitamin A, mainly carotenoids like beta-carotene and Vitamins C, E, and D. Monitoring your caloric intake and avoiding foods high in sugars, fats or carbohydrates is a good way to maintain a healthy weight and avoid further complications associated with inflammation.

Fitness:
Getting in shape is also import to reduce your risk of cancer and it helps with your mood too, by releasing endorphins. Fitness is the greatest defense against most forms of disease and ailment and in the case of cancer, the same holds true. Exercise gets the heart pumping and the blood flowing throughout the body. In addition to reducing your risk of cancer, physical fitness significantly reduces risk of stroke and heart attack. This is because increased blood flow prevents plaque from building up on the interior walls of arteries, decreasing the risk of blocked blood flow to the brain or heart – this is also how fitness helps prevent inflammation.

By properly balancing hormones, getting daily exercise and eating a diet rich in antioxidants, you’re able to achieve optimum health and wellness and have the tools necessary to live better, longer.