ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH AGEs?

We are not talking about your, or my, age. We are talking about AGEs as a sneaky health sapper! AGEs are Advanced Glycation End-products or harmful compounds formed when proteins or fats combine with sugars in the bloodstream. This process, called glycation, can contribute to various health problems associated with aging and disease. AGEs are often implicated in such health problems as Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, kidney disease and atherosclerosis. By lowering your levels of AGEs, you may reduce your chances of depression, heart disease, diabetes, and more. Recent research has also suggested that it may lower risk of breast cancer by 43%. Tomorrow we will post some ways we can work to lower the AGEs in our bodies.

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FLAXSEEDS FOR BREAST CANCER

As a long-term survivor of this disease, I always strive to promote breast cancer awareness and any ideas that may be helpful to those who have the disease. I hope this information will be helpful for some of you.

Flaxseeds are possibly the best source in nature for lignans, a phytoestrogen that may help women who are dealing with estrogen-sensitive breast cancer by blocking receptor sites in the body.  If you are battling this type of cancer, it would no doubt be worth adding flaxseeds to your diet.

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MUSHROOMS BOOST IMMUNITY

The hormone estrogen is involved in 75% of all breast cancer cases. Mushrooms have been shown to reduce breast cancer risk by 66%! Unique compounds in mushrooms, regardless of variety, regulate estrogen levels by blocking an enzyme known for ramping up estrogen production. Be sure you are including mushrooms in your diet. Mushrooms added to soups, salads, sauces etc. can help keep your immune cells strong.

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SOME BENEFITS OF EATING SOY

 Following are some facts about the benefits of soy in your diet:

• Aaron Tabor, M.D., nutrition researcher and author of The Revival Slim and Beautiful Diet states that soy is rich in isoflavones, plant compounds that increase the production of skin-firming collagen. Studies have shown around 63% of women see improvement in skin tone and texture when they add soy to their diets.
• According to researchers at John Hopkins University, a daily dose of soy can cut ones breast cancer risk by 15%. Warning, this is only effective when your soy comes from food and not supplements! Soy contains mild estrogen-like compounds that block the effects of a woman's stronger, more damaging estrogens.
• Need to kick start weight loss? Adding soy to your diet can restart weight loss in as little as three days according to researchers at the University of Illinois. Soy is packed with proteins that stimulate body cells to burn fat.

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CAN COFFEE CUT BREAST CANCER RISK?

Another reason to enjoy your morning cup or cups of coffee is that it could cut your risk of a particularly aggressive form of breast cancer according to a study done a few years ago by the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden. This study of around 6,000 women found that those who drank one to three cups of coffee a day lowered their risk of estrogen receptor-negative breast cancer by 27%.  Women who drank more coffee had even better numbers.  In women who drank three to 5 cups a day, the number went up to 42%.  The study author, Jingmei Li, Ph.D. explained, "Coffee is a top source of cancer-preventing antioxidants."  So go right ahead and enjoy that morning coffee.

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BREAST CANCER PATIENTS AND INSULIN LEVELS

"Breast cancer patients who keep insulin levels under control - a factor most often associated with diet and lifestyle - cut their risk of cancer recurrence in half and decrease cancer mortality by two-thirds."  Keith I Block, MD Medical Director of the Block Center for Integrative Cancer Treatment and Director of Integrative Medical Education at University of Illinois College of Medicine.

This is a repost from 2011;

LITTLE KNOWN BENEFITS OF EGGS

Eggs have often been maligned but they are once again accepted as a good food. Did you know that eggs have anti-inflammatory properties?  Inflammation is one of the biggest causes of problems with our bodies. following are a few things you may have never connected to eggs. A huge study of 121,000 women has suggested that eating 3 eggs a week during adolescence dropped the risk of breast cancer by 18%!  Parents, as a breast cancer survivor, I say feeding your children 3 eggs a week is well worth it!  Other components in eggs, ie choline and lecithin, are shown to improve brain and gallbladder functions.  I would say eating eggs, in reasonable quantities, is a good thing to do.

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WHAT CAUSES BREAST CANCER?

What causes breast cancer? If I could answer that question with accuracy I would be a wealthy woman! Unfortunately I nor anyone else can give you a good answer to that question. A few years ago I read an article in a medical publication that said, "Many factors can increase the chances of developing breast cancer.  Some include a family history of breast cancer, excessive alcohol use, and being overweight or obese...."

I am writing this post today because of my personal experience.  As of this December, I will be a 33-year-survivor of breast cancer.  I am telling you this to let you know early detection is key to survival and it is important to do self-exams, have recommended mammograms, and contact your doctor with any questions or suspicions.  I am sharing this with you to let you know I was only 40-years-old and I did not have any of the reasons listed above.  No one in my family had ever had breast cancer at that time, I had never drank alcohol (or smoked), and I was and always had been slender. So I was surprised to have breast cancer and to be facing a bilateral mastectomy.  I want others to be aware and check themselves regularly. I also want people to know that with early detection, breast cancer does not have to be fatal.  Chances of survival are good.

• The most common symptom is a new lump or mass of tissue in the breast (I had a history of fibroid tumors which can make self detection difficult at times).
  Here are some things to look for to protect yourself: If you feel a new lump, contact your doctor right away.  Do not wait around to see if it will go away.
• Unusual swelling of any part of the breast.
• Skin irritation of the breast with no noticeable reason.
• Pain in the breast or nipple.
• Nipple turning inward.
• Nipple discharge (excluding breast milk)

Any of these symptoms should be reported to the doctor right away.  Don't put off contacting your doctor. Breast cancer does not disappear and the sooner it is treated, the better your chances of survival.

Breast cancer usually occurs in women because of the female hormones but men can also have breast cancer.

Note: This is a repost of an older article. Some things may have changed but the basics have not. 

BROCCOLI AND CANCER

We all know broccoli is good for us and we should eat more of it.  That said, here is some information about broccoli and cancer.  Broccoli has both anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties and both are important to the person dealing with cancer.  Both are also important in helping to prevent cancer.

Sulforaphane, a well-studied phytochemical in broccoli, appears to slow the growth of leukemia and melanoma cells.  Another metabolite, glucosinolate, can inhibit the growth of breast cancer.  If you are battling any of those three mentioned cancers, be sure to make broccoli an important part of your diet.

PARSLEY IS FOR MORE THAN DECORATION

Yes, parsley sprinkled on foods make them look pretty but according to researchers at the University of Missouri it does a lot more than that. Parsley is a very good source of apigenin, an antioxidant the researchers suggest can stop breast cancer cells from growing. Eating a few ounces of parsley daily is a good way to keep the apigenin in your blood stream. Other apigenin-rich foods include mint and celery. Another benefit of eating parsley is that it helps to control bad breath.