© 2002, Sara Bachman Ducey

www.saraducey.com

One of the most significant causes of breast cancer is excessive exposure to estrogens – a family of what we commonly call "female" hormones. It's important to note that both men and women have estrogens and androgens. The androgens, including testosterone are what we commonly call "male" hormones.

In both men and women, excessive estrogen exposure is associated with health risks. The women who have estrogen-related breast cancers turn out to have brothers at increased risk for prostate cancers. This discussion is important to all of us.

There is a condition called estrogen dominance. This is really a condition where there is an imbalance between estrogen, progesterone and testosterone in the body. In addition to the breast cancer risk, some of the health problems that arise from estrogen dominance include:

• premenstrual syndrome (PMS);
• endometriosis;
• uterine fibroid tumors;
• fibrocystic or painful breasts;
• cervical dysplasia; and
• systemic lupus erythematosis.

Your total estrogen exposure comes from three sources:

• endogenous estrogens;
• environmental estrogens; and
• dietary estrogens.

The endogenous estrogens are the ones your body makes:

• Estradiol;
• Estrone;
• Estriol; and the
• Estrogen Metabolites (what your body makes when detoxifying estrogens)

The environmental or exogenous estrogens come from outside the body:

• Industrial chemicals like vinyl chloride, PCBs, and dioxins; pesticides; plasticizers; and others
• Medical Hormones such as Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT), Oral Contraceptive Agents (OCA), and cancer drugs like tamoxifen and cimetidine; and
• Hormones used in animal agriculture that end up in our diets.

The dietary estrogens are also called phytoestrogens. (The prefix phyto means plant.) These include:

• Lignans (from flax, rye, wheat and sea vegetables);
• Isoflavones (from soy, beans, peas, clover and alfalfa); and
• Flavonoids (from citrus and grapes)

 We'll look at two basic nutrition strategies for improving your estrogen status:

1. Eating foods that promote healthy estrogen metabolism:

• Foods that promote healthy breakdown/deactivation of the hormone molecule to stop signaling; and
• Foods that provide phytochemicals which can block receptors or bind onto free estrogens – a second way of stopping excessive signaling

Before we address enhancing estrogen breakdown, we need to acknowledge that the estrogens are very important hormones – we need them. But, once a hormone molecule has done its job, which is to give a signal to a target tissue, we then need to break it down and stop the signaling. This breakdown process is known as detoxification, and this process takes place in the liver. The end products are called estrogen metabolites.

The liver detoxifies molecules through a variety of chemical processes that alter the shape and function of the molecule. The altered molecule is typically less active or toxic than the original.

Once the molecule is changed, the liver excretes it via the bile. The metabolites end up in the urine and the feces. It's important for the excretion of these metabolites to be completed. That's why we must discuss constipation a bit later on.

Some foods that promote healthy breakdown/deactivation of the hormone molecule to stop signaling:

• Cruciferous Foods (contain indole-3-carbinol)
• Brussels Sprouts, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, collard greens, kale
• Citrus Fruits (D-limonene, rutin, naringenin)
• Oranges
• Grapefruits
• Flax Seeds (Lignan)
• Red Grapes, especially those with seeds (flavonoids)
• Green Tea
• Kudzu
• Tomatoes (Lycopene -red pigment)
• Soy (isoflavones)
• Tumeric (Cucurmin – yellow colored spice)

Foods that provide phytochemicals which can block receptors, or bind to active estrogens – a second way of stopping excessive signaling:

• Fiber
• Flax
• Kudzu
• Soy

Constipation is more than an uncomfortable inconvenience. It's harmful to your health. Women who have chronic problems with constipation have a breast cancer rate that is about 40% higher than women who do not suffer constipation. Why does this happen? This is because the estrogen metabolites in your bowel have time to be chemically altered back into active estrogen compounds. Then, they are reabsorbed across the wall of your large intestine, and have estrogen effects on target tissues, such as your breasts, ovaries and endometrium.

To address the constipation, we need to focus on:

• Exercise;
• Fiber-rich foods
• (try psyllium and flax seeds)
• choose whole grains
• eat beans, peas and legumes
• Fluids, especially water;
• Support gastrointestinal microflora;
• eat pro-biotic organisms (Lactobacillus and Bifidobacter)
• eat pre-biotics such as FOS

So, just by following a program that improves bowel function, you've already made progress in reducing your risk for estrogen-related health problems!

In addition to all the foods and nutrients mentioned above, it's important to recognize that the overall diet must be sound. Ample, good quality proteins are required for healthy estrogen metabolism. Additionally, the diet must contain healthy fats (omega-3 fatty acids from fish and flax) and must avoid the harmful processed fats such as partially hydrogenated fats in shortening, margarine and baked goods. The carbohydrates must be whole foods, not refined flours and sugars.

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