The greatest risk factor for breast cancer

The greatest risk factor for breast cancer is the lack of fibrous foods like nuts, seeds and legumes that are rich sources of important phytonutrients.

Those who read the popular press faithfully will surely have noted feature articles with headlines such as “Breast Cancer: know your risk.” It's a disturbing subject, not to be missed by anyone. Men too can get the disease.

Breast cancer is the most prevalent cancer of women, nearly one in four of the malignant tumours.

Even more distressing perhaps, we are told that increasingly young women are affected in South Africa, now one in five cases of breast cancer are 40 and younger; with the peak at 34. Worse, these are the more aggressive cancers affecting mothers of young families. No longer can anyone pretend, ostrich-like, “this only happens to others.”

The articles describe in some detail those at risk; women who have not had children, have not breast fed or are taking HRT.

Lignans

But concerning for me, perhaps the great risk factor was not mentioned; a deficiency of dietary plant nutrients known as lignans that are converted by bacteria in the healthy gut into enterolactone, a hormone that competes with female oestrogen at sites on the breast for absorption.

• The happy tum
  

Lignans are found in true whole grains containing all the bran, seeds and nuts; legumes, fruit and vegetables too. No woman should be deficient but those consuming mainly ultra-processed meals are at risk of falling victim to highly malignant breast tumours and other cancers too.

These lignans are usually extracted by millers and food manufacturing companies.

Today’s “industrial diet,” as Prof Tim Noakes describes it, is perhaps the greatest risk factor of developing breast cancer.

The Cancer Society recommends a true whole grain (like a mealie or brown rice) and a legume (beans, peas or lentils) at every single meal. Almost no one does that, or once a day; even weekly. When did you last eat a true whole grain? They are increasingly difficult to find in shops and considered a “health food,” are often a lot more expensive.

Google “Research: Whole Grain Consumption for the Prevention and Treatment of Breast Cancer.” Scientists have found that just one helping of a true whole grain every day gives almost 50% protection against breast tumours; prostate cancer too. That’s massive. Two helpings and hummus with your salad might give almost complete protection.

It's difficult to see the broad beans in Eggs Parkinson's Disease; this wonderful legume is the only natural source of dopamine. Likewise the hummus filling the bowl of an avocado is hidden.

Flax seeds are the easiest source of lignans

The easiest source of lignans, an inexpensive one too is flax seeds. Just one tablespoon sprinkled on your cereal or made into a smoothie with nuts and berries, taken daily would go a long way to protecting us against breast and many other cancers.

They have to be freshly-ground or they pass through the gut unchanged and may contribute to diverticulitis. You need one of those inexpensive small coffee grinders with a spinning blade; it can be used for spices too. It takes less than 30 seconds.

And they need to be freshly ground; the oils in flax seeds, once exposed to air go rancid very quickly. It is an omega 3 fat called ALA that is highly anti-inflammatory and has many other protective benefits too.

True whole grains

There are many different forms of lignans. It behooves us to regularly consume as many of these numerous kinds as we can; so a widely varied diet. Animal products have almost none, by the way.

True wholegrain meal is almost impossible to purchase in grocery stores which is why we first bought a small grinder and then a large industrial mill; initially just for our own consumption but now for creches and the poor.

The mills were not cheap (R6000 and R17,000) but very inexpensive in comparison with the high risk of these aggressive cancers.

True wholegrain meal contains all the germ, bran and flour in exactly the same proportions as in the kernel. Maize and wheat currently but we are also looking at mabela (sorghum).

Yellow maize meal has numerous advantages, in particular being rich in the precursor of vitamin A. Two children die every single day in SA from a deficiency. It makes them vulnerable to every passing virus, especially measles and encephalitis; and blindness.

Nearly half a million children go blind in the world every year because of a vitamin A deficiency. True wholegrain is also not fattening and is far more tasty; it even lowers blood pressure because of a very high potassium content.

• Beta-carotene is also called previtamin A
  

I freely admit to being fiercely determined not to get cancer, verging on fanaticism. My friends call me Johnny B, a lone reed shaking in the wind, after John the Baptist. I am honoured. I abhor cake flour and super-refined maizemeal.

The first Johnny B lost his head; I may too. Commercial millers will not take kindly to this essay; sold to farmers for animal feed, the bran and germ are highly profitable.

Whole grains are chewy, they take time to eat and they don’t have the “mouthfeel” of a slice of cheesecake. The honest truth is that most folk do not like them. Uninformed about the importance of lignans (and other phytonutrients in whole grains) they far prefer white bread, cakes and delicious scones; super refined mealiemeal and white rice too.

Legumes

Legumes contain a different lignan and also need to be consumed daily if we are serious about protection against debilitating disease. We personally prefer green beans and peas to those that are dried, so we grow many different varieties; then they are available year-round. But we also enjoy chickpeas and lentils regularly too.

• Blue Zone longevity
• My journey with broad beans; the only food source with pharmaceutical amounts of dopamine for tremors.
  

Nuts

We are fortunate having many different nuts available. They too are rich sources of lignans. The pecan bowl never leaves our dining room table; we love cracking macadamias.

Fruit and vegetables

Fruit and vegetables too are good sources of lignans. In spring we daily enjoy many different berries from the garden. They make wonderful smoothies with kefir; the happy tum and powerful prevention of breast disease.

• Purple power smoothie
  

Prevention, it’s a whole lot better than a cure

I really do believe in regular breast examinations and imaging of suspect lumps. But at Our Green Home we put even more energy into doing everything we know to prevent these nasty diseases.

Would you join me in becoming another reed rustling in the wind? The world needs more fanatics; the kind that treasure the goodness of life and would love one distant day to “die healthy.”

The greatest risk factor for breast cancer

The greatest risk factor for breast cancer is a diet short of lignans.

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