Tuesday, July 10, 2007

The Western Diet and Breast Cancer

According to http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070710/hl_afp/uschinahealthcancerdiet;_ylt=Arvf7vkyGDSzkj1XRHlXmW4DW7oF, post menopausal Chinese women are more likely to develop breast cancer if they adopt a "western diet."

Researchers found that Chinese women who trade in their traditional diet of fresh water fish, vegetables and soy (which is a small part of the diet and usually fermented) for a diet high in processed red meat, bread, candy, dessert, milk, salt water fish and shellfish, they double their risk for estrogen receptor + breast cancer.

The salt water fish and the shellfish are most likely innocent unless they are raised in polluted waters or farmed, so we'll focus on the other components of the "western diet." It's important to take a look at this because Americans are eating a "western diet" and if this diet causes cancer in post-menopausal Chinese women, it will also cause cancer in Americans.

Most of the red meat in this country is from penned up grain fed cows who have been injected with hormones and antibiotics. This meat is mostly eaten after it has been cured with cancer causing nitrates and nitrites, so it is no wonder that the risk for breast cancer is increased. We should eat meat from grass fed cows that have not been injected with hormones or antibiotics or cured with the nitrites.

Traditionally, bread was made with sourdough starter which is essentially fermented flour. This fermented yeast increased vitamin content in the bread and destroyed anti-nutrients such as phytic acid. Phytic acid binds to minerals taking them out of the body so they cannot be absorbed. Now, our bread is factory made with lots of preservatives and dough conditioners. Most of the commercial bread out there also contains hydrogenated oils, high fructose corn syrup and soy flour (which is highly processed and contains cancer causing substances). Again, "duh" that it increases the risk for cancer.

Anyone with half a brain could figure out that a diet high in refined sugar foods such as candy and dessert is unhealthy. A high sugar diet messes with the hormone insulin creating hormonal imbalance in the body and obesity. Cancer also feeds on sugar. Our food guide pyramid diet which is very high in sugar (grains are a source of sugar) create a breeding ground for cancer.

What about milk? It's healthy, right?

Not really. Most of the milk consumed in the US is ultra-pasteurized (completely dead so even bugs won't eat it) and homogenized. Milk cows have also been injected with hormones and antibiotics. And, because we are fat phobic, most people are drinking fat free or low fat milk. Without the fat, you risk vitamin A and D deficiency as fat is essential for their absorption. Vitamins A and D help protect against cancer.

If Chinese women start developing cancer from eating a typical "western diet," then you should expect that Americans will also develop cancer and a host of other problems on this same diet.

The Chinese women traded a whole foods diet in for a highly processed diet and the result was increased breast cancer. So eat real food the way God made it and you'll live a longer and more fullfilling life.

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