Natural News for Women » Breast Cancer

Ingredient Spotlight: Kale

Marilyn — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 00:10:17 +0000

Kale is a member of the brassica family of vegetables. They are not only packed with health-boosting vitamins and minerals but are full of anti-carcinogenic phytonutrients, mostly in the form of the organo-sulphur compounds that give them their slightly bitter taste.

Kale’s sulphurophane, for example, interferes directly with tumour growth, as well as stimulating the body’s own defences against disease to create an antioxidant effect that lasts long after the kale has been eaten. Recent research has found…

In the News: Vigorous exercise cuts risk of breast cancer

Marilyn — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 03:00:35 +0000

According to research from the National Cancer Institute in Maryland and published in Breast Cancer Research journal, women who regularly carry out vigorous exercise in their 60s are up to 30 per cent less likely to develop breast cancer, than those who exercise gently. The findings add to the weight of evidence about the power of exercise to reduce the risk of breast cancer, which kills more than 1,000 women in the UK every month.

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Natural treatments for breast discomfort

Marilyn — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 03:20:18 +0000

Breast swelling and pain, especially in the week or so before your period are normal reactions to fluctuating hormone levels. As women reach their 40s, however this discomfort can sometimes develop into severe pain called mastalgia where the breasts become hard and extremely painful. A mastalgia attack can last for up to ten days. The causes are not completely understood but mastalgia may be caused by unusual sensitivity of breast tissue to fluctuating hormones leading up to the menopause.

If you do experience breast pain your immediate fear would be that the pain was due to breast cancer but in most cases mastalgia is a benign condition but you should still see your doctor to have a check up to make sure. Then try the recommendations below:

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In the News: Regular exercise cuts breast cancer risk

Marilyn — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 04:50:24 +0000

New research suggests that if girls and young women exercise regularly it may cut their risk of breast cancer before the menopause by up to a quarter.

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In the News: Two glasses of wine a day increases breast cancer risk

Marilyn — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 04:40:23 +0000

A study of 185, 000 post menopausal women from the University of Chicago – one of the largest of its kind – suggests that just two glasses of wine a day can increase the risk of breast cancer by more than a half. A single glass of wine a day raises the risk by almost a third.

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Ask Marilyn: Kids lunch meals?

Marilyn — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 01:50:48 +0000

Q: How bad, nutritionally, are pre-packed kid’s lunch meals with mini pizzas, tacos, etc? And is apple juice the healthiest drink to give them?

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In the News: Can chemicals found in lipstick and nail varnish trigger breast cancer?

Marilyn — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 04:50:08 +0000

A recent study has shown that butyl benzyl phthalate, or BBP, a chemical found in lipstick and nail varnish may interfere with the healthy development of breast tissue. BBP is a man made substance that accumulates in fat tissue and which is part of a group of chemicals that mimic the female hormone oestrogen.

Phthalates are frequently used to make cosmetics glossy or soften plastics and are also found in food packaging, toys, carpets and solvents…

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Ingredient Spotlight: Red Cabbage

Marilyn — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 01:20:16 +0000

Red cabbage is a member of the cruciferous family which also includes kale, broccoli and Brussel Sprouts. The cabbage that we eat today was developed from wild cabbage and was brought to Europe around 600BC and had been grown in Ancient Greek and Roman civilizations that had used cabbage for medicinal purposes.

Red cabbage is a rich source of calcium and also flavonoids. The flavonoids are responsible for the red colour and give the red cabbage its antioxidant benefits.
The antioxidant properties of red cabbage are six to eight times higher than …

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Disease fighting foods for women

Marilyn — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 02:00:33 +0000

It’s well known that cranberries can help protect against cystitis but there are other foods for women with disease fighting properties:

Papaya. This tropical fruit packs about twice the vitamin C of an orange. After analyzing the blood of over 13,000 people, scientists from the University of California, San Francisco, found that women who had lower levels of vitamin C were more likely to have gallbladder illnesses. One medium papaya (about ten ounces), with its 188 mg of vitamin C and a mere 119 calories, is a good source of the vitamin. The once exotic fruit now can be found in most supermarkets.
Flaxseed. Rich in oestrogen-like compounds called lignans which are a potential weapon against that lady killer breast cancer. You can add flaxseeds (also called linseeds) to cakes and bread, but the easiest and healthiest way to get the beneficial lignans is to sprinkle a few tablespoons of ground flaxseed on your morning cereal. Look for the seeds in health food stores or in supermarkets and buy organic ones. They’re easy to grind in a blender or coffee grinder or you can get them ready ground in a vacuum pack and then store them in the fridge. Buy the seeds if you want the lignan-effect as there are no lignans in the oil.
Tofu. Foods high in soya protein can lower cholesterol and may minimize menopausal hot flushes and strengthen bone. Isoflavones, plant chemicals in soya beans that have a structure similar to oestrogen, may be the reason. A half-cup of tofu contains about 25 to 35 mg of isoflavones. Other beans like lentils, chickpeas, kidney beans etc are a good source of isoflavones too.
Collard Greens. This humble vegetable may help fight osteoporosis, which afflicts many women late in life. In addition to getting adequate amounts of calcium and vitamin D, some studies suggest that vitamin K may have a bone-protective effect as well. Based on data from one of the largest studies of women, the Nurses’ Health Study, researchers discovered that women who ate enough vitamin K-rich foods (at least 109 micrograms of the vitamin daily) were 30 percent less likely to suffer a hip fracture during ten years of follow-up than women who ate less. The researchers stated that dark-green leafy vegetables — Brussels sprouts, spinach, broccoli — are all good sources of the vitamin. But collard greens, with about 375 micrograms per half-cup, are among the best.

Ingredient Spotlight: Avocados

Marilyn — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 10:30:21 +0000

Avocados are a wonderful fruit but they have been given a bad name amongst slimmers because of the fat content.

But this fat comes in the form of beneficial essential unsaturated fats, which are exceptionally easy to digest.

Avocados are high in potassium, the mineral that helps prevent water retention and are also a rich source of vitamin E as well as vitamin C, B6, folic acid, calcium, magnesium and manganese. Avocados also contain lutein which is an anti-oxidant especially beneficial to the eyes. They have also been found to help produce collagen, which gives the elasticity to skin and is essential for maintaining bone health.

Avocados have been shown to help lower cholesterol as they contain a substance called beta-sitosterol which helps to stop the absorption of cholesterol in the small intestines. Beta-sitosterol can also help with blood sugar swings and may help to prevent a number of cancers including breast cancer. Epicatechin, the same antioxidant as found in green tea, is also present in avocados.

Avocados also contain another substance called mannoheptulose which has a cancer protecting effect. Mannoheptulose inhibits an enzyme which prevents the uptake of glucose into cancer cells. Cancer cells use glucose as their primary fuel so, by blocking the uptake of glucose into cancer cells, it is essentially starving those cells.