HOW FOODS CAN PREVENT BREAST CANCER: BLUNT THE ESTROGEN SIGNAL

The other strategy involving the receptor is to weaken the cell's response to estrogen. Once estrogen locks on to the receptor, a signal is transmitted to the cell's DNA. The strength of that signal determines estrogen's final effect. A very strong signal can mean dramatic cell growth. A very weak signal can mean little growth at all. What determines that signal strength? The kind of fats you eat. Omega-6, found in safflower oil, peanut oil, soybean oil, and corn oil, causes a very powerful signal. In fact, omega-6 fats have been shown to increase the growth of breast cancers in multiple test-tube and animal experiments. In humans omega-6 fats account for a stunning 69 percent increased risk of breast cancer. That's the bad news. The great good news is that you can replace these omega-6 fats in your body. Here's how. First, avoid all omega-6 fats. You'll find a complete list in the chapter "Step 2: Change Fats." The next step is to eat a diet high in omega-3 fatty acids, which are found in fish oils. Studies of the breast fat in American women in California show almost no omega-3 fats at all! The omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil have a very positive effect on breast cells by cutting the signal strength dramatically. The other beneficial fat is an omega-9 fat, the kind found in olive oil. Olive oil is a neutral fatty acid. It doesn't have the toxic effects of omega-6, nor does it have the beneficial effects of omega-3. Yet the fact that it replaces omega-6 fatty acids makes for a net positive effect because the signal strength is reduced. Breast cancer rates are 50 percent lower in Mediterranean countries, where far more olive oil is used on salads and for cooking, than in the United States.

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Womens health