Breast health without mammograms

Ladies, if you're looking to lower your risk of breast cancer, skip the doctor's office--and head to the supermarket instead.

The latest research confirms that good nutrition and safe supplements can lower your risk for breast cancer--making it easier to just say no to the cancer screenings that have led to the mass overtreatment of women around the world.

There are a lot of new studies worth mentioning here, but let's start with a supplement everyone should be taking anyway: Fish oil.

Researchers looked at data on 35,016 postmenopausal women who did not have breast cancer at the start of the study. They found that those who took fish oil supplements had a 32 percent lower risk of developing the most common form of breast cancer, ductal carcinoma.

The new study in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention comes on the heels of research last year that found women with high levels of EPA--one of the components of fish oil--have half the risk of breast cancer.

And, of course, fish oil can also lower cardiovascular risk, improve mental health and protect vision in men and women alike.

If you're not eating fatty fish several times a week, be sure to get a quality fish oil supplement. Since some can give you the "fish burps," you may need to shop around until you find one that works for you--just don't give up, because the benefits are too good to miss.

And if you do opt for eating your fish over swallowing a capsule, be sure to fry your fillets in olive oil. That's because in addition to adding some great taste, another new study finds that this healthy oil can also fight breast cancer.

Spanish researchers say experiments on rats show that olive oil can block the gene that causes breast tumors, turn off the proteins that feed cancer cells and prevent the DNA damage that leads to cancer, according to a study published in Carcinogenesis.

That would certainly help explain why people who enjoy a Mediterranean diet also enjoy a lower risk of cancer--not to mention fewer heart problems, since olive oil is great for cardiovascular health.

And as long as we're in the supermarket, make sure you add some broccoli and Brussels sprouts to your shopping cart-- because these veggies may have the power to shut cancer down.

Ohio State University researchers say indole-3-carbinol, or I3C, appears to block the growth of breast cancer cells by switching off a molecule the cells need to divide. The best sources of I3C come from cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts, kale and cabbage.

Other vegetables and supplements can also help lower your risk. As I mentioned a few months ago, bitter melon extract kills breast cancer cells in a lab setting. It tastes like its name--so unless you can handle some bitterness, a supplement may be your best bet. (Read, "Bitter melon's cancer-blocking powers.")

And recent studies on more common supplements are just as promising. One study found that calcium supplements slashed the risk of breast cancer by 40 percent, while multivitamins lowered the risk by 30 percent. (Read, "Vitamins can lower breast cancer risk.")

Of course, talk to your doctor before adding new supplements to your regimen--but for most people, these are safe, simple, inexpensive and completely natural options.

They may even be part of your diet already.

So feel free to skip the screenings... but make sure you don't skip good nutrition.

On a mission for your health,
Ed Martin
Editor, House Calls