DIETARY FACTORS AND BREAST CANCER

Post-diagnosis dietary factors and survival after invasive breast cancer.

As little it is known about the effects of diet after breast cancer diagnosis on survival. Recently a study focused on post-diagnosis dietary factors and breast cancer in 4,441 women without a history of breast cancer recurrence. Several large studies have previously indicated a link between consumption of high amounts of trans fat and coronary heart disease, and possibly some other diseases (Bauer et al., Pediatr Nurs. 2009 ). Beasley et al suggested (2011) that that lower intake of saturated and trans fat in the post-diagnosis diet is associated with improved survival after breast cancer diagnosis.

SATURATED fatty acids, which are solid at room temperature and come from animal sources including meat, egg yolks, dairy products, and fish. They are also found in tropical oils, especially coconut and palm oil.

Trans fats are prodused by a method called hydrogenation, which results to solidify liquid vegetable oil into a spread. Just like saturated fats, trans fats increase LDL cholesterol ("bad" cholesterol) and lower HDL cholesterol ("good" cholesterol). Trans fat also substitute fatty acids chains creating leaks in the cell membrane. (Kelly et al., Am Fam Physician. 2010). Hydrogenation is the process of combining hydrogen gas at high pressure and temperature with the oil, in the presence of a metal catalyst such as nickel, platinum, or copper, in order to make the liquid oil into a solid. It destroys the essential fatty acids and replaces them with trans fatty acids that the body is not equipped to deal with, and leaves behind traces of metal. They compete with essential fatty acids for absorption in the body and create imbalances and deficiencies. Hydrogenation creates unpredictable new molecules, whose effects are unknown, which profoundly alters the properties of the oil. Plant sterol esters or plant stanol esters have been added to some margarines and spreads because of their cholesterol lowering effect. Plant sterols are plant equivalents of cholesterol and have a very similar molecular structure. (Jong et al Eur J Clin Nutr. 2007 ), (Remig et al J Am Diet Assoc. 2010).

Beasley JM, Newcomb PA, Trentham-Dietz A, Hampton JM, Bersch AJ, Passarelli MN, Holick CN, Titus-Ernstoff L, Egan KM, Holmes MD, Willett WC.
Post-diagnosis dietary factors and survival after invasive breast cancer.Holick CN, Titus-Ernstoff L, Egan KM, Holmes MD, Willett WC. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2011 Jan 1.