Is Your Diet Increasing Your Risk of Breast Cancer?

Research from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study has determined a link between pro-inflammatory diets and the development of breast cancer.  This study followed over 300,000 women for 14 years, of which about 13,000 developed breast cancer.  Most studies prior to this have only looked at single nutrients or foods.  Assessing the whole diet rather than just single nutrients or foods allowed the researchers in the study to make more accurate health conclusions.  Prior to this study, the only dietary component found to be strongly associated with breast cancer is alcohol (stay tuned for a future blog on this topic).  The dietary inflammatory potential was characterized by an inflammatory score of the diet (ISD) based on the participants reported intake of 27 foods.  Women with the highest ISD number had a greater risk of developing breast cancer when compared with women with a lower ISD number.  This risk was independent of hormone receptor subtype.

Low-grade, chronic inflammation is a well-established risk factor in the development of many cancers and diet can contribute to the state of inflammation.  Other causes of inflammation include being overweight or obese, autoimmune conditions, diabetes, and having high blood pressure.  Even if you don’t have any of these conditions, you may still have systemic inflammation.  Some of the signs of inflammation are poor digestion, seasonal allergies, joint pain, fatigue, eczema, and brain fog.  Food allergies are also a HUGE contributor to the inflammatory process and many people have these although they do not know it, as the body gets used to them, like a tight belt or socks.  When you’re used to the feeling, you do not notice the symptoms, yet they are still there.  Having multiple factors contributing to systemic inflammation can create a perfect storm leading to the development of cancer. 

I am a naturopathic physician being trained in naturopathic oncology by Dr. Cynthia Bye, ND, FABNO.  She is a Fellow of the American Board of Naturopathic Oncology (FABNO) and she is the only FABNO located in southwest Washington.  She has been working in cancer care for 20 years.  I am working towards this board-certification under Dr. Bye’s mentorship.  Cancer is a multifactorial disease and inflammation is also multi-factorial.  Food allergies are a big contributing factor and we test all our patients for 96 food allergens.  Through a full head-to-toe review of systems, I connect the dots to determine what factors in your life are contributing to your chronic, systemic inflammation.

We utilize individualized therapies based on your needs because each person and cancer are different. We work with cancer patients to identify causative factors, then support them as they go through their treatments with well-researched protocols to reduce side effects that won’t interfere with their treatments.  We tie up circulating tumor cells to reduce risk of metastasis and help cancer patients recover from their treatments.  In the recovery phase, we work with patients to help them with the short and long-term side effects from radiation, chemotherapy, and surgery.  We use protocols to decrease recurrence risk if they no longer have evidence of disease.  For patients with residual disease after treatment, we support them in their recovery, improve their quality of life, and work to slow down the cancer process.

We tell every patient that they are the only person in charge of their health.  Taking proactive steps to change your diet and remove the inflammatory foods will benefit you.  For each patient we use individualized dietary recommendations that based on factors like your height, weight, diagnosis, and food sensitivities or allergens.  I work with cancer patients, family members of cancer patients, and individuals looking to reduce their risk of cancer.  If you would like to reduce your risk, give me a call at 360-695-8800. 

Yours in Health,
Dr. Charissa Bausch

Brooks, M. (2021, June 11). Pro-inflammatory Diet Tied to Increased Risk of Breast Cancer. Medscape. https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/952851.