Breast Cancer Risk in Military Veteran Women
Military women do have a slightly higher breast cancer risk than other women in the same age group, according to a 2009 Walter Reed Army Medical Center study. Researchers found that white women in the armed forces face a 19% higher risk and black women have a 37% higher risk. Among 100,000 people, that's the difference between 30.6 and 36.4 cases of breast cancer in white women and 33.4 and 45.8 in black women.
A few possible factors:
#1: More access to health care and frequent screenings
#2: Women in the military are more often employed in jobs such as auto mechanic or motor transport operator where they’re exposed to volatile organic compounds (VOCs), potentially toxic chemicals that have been shown to stimulate breast cancer cell growth in laboratory animals, Clapp says. In fact, Army women exposed to at least one VOC had a 48% increased risk of breast cancer, according to a 2005 study done at the Navy Environmental Health Center in Portsmouth, Virginia.
#3: Shift Work:
Military members often work nights or work in a pattern called rotating shifts that disrupts the day/night rhythm: “It suppresses melatonin, which we suspect makes it harder for your body to fight off potentially cancerous changes in cells,” Clapp explains. Female military workers who had worked the night shift were 40% more likely to develop breast cancer in a 2012 Danish study.
#4: Drinking contaminated water:
In the early 1980s, it was discovered that two water supply systems at Marine Corps Base Camp LeJeune in North Carolina were contaminated with VOCs such as the metal degreaser trichloroethylene and the dry cleaning agent perchloroethylene. Government data later found that workers stationed there had higher mortality rates from all types of cancer compared to workers at another military base. Not only were there higher rates of fatal breast cancer in women, the CDC is currently investigating whether contamination at Camp LeJeune caused unusually high rates of breast cancer in men.
#5: Greater birth control pill use
A 2010 study published in the Journal of Women's Health found that 34% of women in the military use oral contraceptives, compared to 29% of the general population. The authors speculated that it might be one of the reasons military women are more at risk for developing breast cancer—studies have suggested that recent or current use of hormonal birth control pills can increase risk in premenopausal women. (A recent study in the journal Cancer Research found that increasingly popular low-dose estrogen pills were not associated with a higher breast cancer risk, while high-dose estrogen pills were.)
WHAT CAN A WOMAN DO TO HELP REDUCE HER RISK OF BREAST CANCER
#1: Eat more plants:
More specifically, eat more brightly colored vegetables and fruits. Plant pigments called flavonoids have anticancer properties, and people who consume more of them seem to enjoy a reduced risk of breast cancer. Flavonoid subtypes called flavonols and flavones appear to be particularly helpful. Foods containing flavonols and flavones include onions, broccoli, eggplant, celery, lettuce, peppers, potatoes, tomatoes, apples, oranges, melons, black tea, coffee, chamomile tea, and many aromatic herbs
#2: Get 300 Minutes of Exercise or more Every Week
According to reports from the European Code Against Cancer, an initiative supported by the European Union Health Programme to help people reduce cancer risk, physical inactivity contributes to 9 percent of breast cancer cases. People who are more physically active have a reduced risk of breast cancer, as well as other cancers and diseases, such as heart disease and osteoporosis.
# 3. Lose Body Fat
One way physical activity may protect against breast cancer is by reducing body fat, which is itself a risk factor for breast cancer — and body fat tends to creep up after menopause. A 2015 study in JAMA Oncology showed that a year-long program of aerobic exercise reduced body fat in postmenopausal women, and 300 minutes per week of moderate-to-vigorous exercise was more effective at cutting body fat than 150 minutes a week.
4. Maintain healthy blood sugar balance and healthy weight.
Aside from sugar causing numerous other health problems, eating it leads to insulin spikes. Insulin leads to storage of body fat, and body fat is one of the sites of estrogen production in the body. Excess estrogen is a problem for women predisposed to estrogen receptor positive breast cancers.
5. Don’t drink alcohol — or at least drink less.
Drinking alcohol is tightly linked with breast cancer, and the more you drink, the greater your risk. Overall, imbibers face a 28 percent greater risk of breast cancer, and there is no threshold — that is, even a little alcohol increases your risk. A 2015 British Medical Journal study showed that even light-to-moderate drinking (for example, a 5-ounce glass of wine a day) increased cancer risk (mainly breast cancer) in women by about 13 percent.
While a few glasses of red wine per week may have cardio protective actions, we do know that more than seven glasses of alcohol per week modestly increases a woman’s risk of breast cancer, and more recent research suggests that even just a few glasses may do so. Therefore, I encourage women to avoid alcohol except on rare occasions, certainly keep it to no more than two four-ounce glasses of wine per week. I get it, not drinking may be less than fun; breast cancer is even less fun. The studies are clear: the more you drink, the higher your risk of breast cancer, with two drinks per day increasing risk by as much as 70%
6. Quit Smoking
Tobacco has long been linked to a variety of cancers, including breast cancer. A 2015 study in the American Journal of Epidemiology found that women smokers faced a much greater risk of breast cancer. For those who started smoking before their first pregnancy and continued for more than 20 pack-years (equivalent to a pack a day for 20 years), the risk was 35 percent greater than in women who never smoked. If you're a smoker, ask you doctor about behavioral and pharmaceutical treatments that can help you quit.
7. Eat only high-quality, natural foods, and include olive oil and dark leafy greens every day.
Processed, fast food and nutrient-deficient diets have co-arisen with breast cancer rates. Is there a correlation? Probably. Is there any harm in eating a healthy diet? Nope. And we do know that diets rich in a wide variety of fruits and vegetables and good-quality fats, particularly olive oil, can help to reduce damage to your genes and protect against breast cancer.
A number of large studies have looked at the role of fats in the diet. Though the Nurses’ Health Study did not demonstrate an increased risk of breast cancer in women consuming animal fat, polyunsaturated fat, or saturated fat, and even suggested an increased risk of breast cancer from high intake of fish oil in the diet, many other large studies have shown a breast cancer protective effect from olive oil and fish oil. The Journal of the National Cancer Institute (1995) demonstrated a 25% lower risk of breast cancer in Greek women who consumed olive oil regularly. Two other European studies also suggested a protective effect of olive oil. One of these studies also showed an increased risk of breast cancer in women who consumed saturated fat. A three-year survey of 61,471 Swedish women reported a 45% reduction in breast cancer risk among women who regularly use canola oil and olive oil. I recommend two tablespoons of olive oil daily.
8. Whole food Supplementation
We do our best to eat well, but specific vitamins and minerals, taken in amounts beyond what we get in our food, may have an additional protective role against breast cancer, mostly through supporting our body’s natural ability to detoxify and prevent damage to our genes. Supplements that may support breast cancer prevention include:
· Selenium
· Vitamin D
· Vitamin C
· Vitamin A (retinal and carotenes)
· Indole-3-carbinol (I3C) found in that Brassicacae vegetable family, and available in supplement form as DIM (diindolylmethane)
· Active folate
9. Avoid harmful environmental exposures — including unnecessary hormones.
The data is unequivocal and just keeps pouring in: many of the 100,000-plus environmental chemicals that have been introduced into our ecosystems cause cancer, and our breast tissue is especially at risk because many toxins preferentially affect them. Even low exposures of BPA, for example, a common chemical in plastics, can increase our risk of breast cancer because it has estrogen-mimicking biological activity.
Please visit the Environmental Working Group website for information and accessible, helpful guidance in how to transform your life from toxic to green.
10. Nurture your natural detox systems
When I say "detox," I'm referring to the body’s natural mechanisms for breaking down and eliminating a whole range of chemicals that come from our food, our hormones, our metabolic processes and environmental exposures. Our bodies are beautifully designed to make sure that we break down, package, and eliminate chemicals and chemical byproducts that can cause us harm were they to linger in our bodies.
Most of our detox happens in our liver, though there are multiple sites where these processes can occur. Toxins in our food and environment can overburden our intrinsic detox systems and damage our cells. Amino acids from high-quality proteins, B vitamins, and antioxidants such as Vitamin C and E help to break down these chemicals, while fiber from vegetables and flax seeds help bind and excrete them properly through our stool. Also, healthy gut flora are essential for the proper detoxification and excretion of estrogen from the intestines, so add a probiotic to your daily routine.
Drink lots of water!
11. Stress less, sleep better.
Stress and lack of sleep both lead to weight gain, blood sugar dysregulation, and increased estrogen production. Poor sleep and stress impair immune function and detoxification, and may keep us from vitality-promoting lifestyle habits! Try to get 7 to 8 hours of sleep most nights, and build a yoga, meditation or relaxation practice into your life. It can make a world of difference in your health and outlook.
FEEL OVERWHELMED?! That is ok! You can get a health coach to help you with all this. Captain Lincoln will partner with you and get you on a long term plan to reduce your risk of breast cancer. Do not delay. The sooner you start, the faster we can start reducing your breast cancer risk.
