Years ago, prophylactic Tamoxifen was touted for women at high risk for breast cancer." With the side effects and increased risk of endometrial cancer now well known, those calls have all but disappeared in the media.
It does make sense, however, to seek natural or healthy ways to prevent breast cancer." Recently, attention has been directed at the trace mineral selenium as one natural substance with promise." The FDA recently had to admit that selenium had proven to have beneficial effects for some cancers, but required any mention of these benefits had to be accompanied by a statement that the studies were inconclusive." Sounds a bit like double-talk or government-speak, doesn't it?
The Institute for Cancer Prevention (ICP) in Valhalla, NY conducted a cursory review of selenium research and concluded that the dose and form of selenium were the critical factors in the agents likely to have success in breast cancer prevention." "Form" refers to a wide variety of ways in which this trace mineral is found naturally, as well as made in the laboratory.
Plants grown in selenium-rich soil make a variety of naturally occurring compounds. The ICP study showed that the compound Se-Methylselenocysteine performs better at cancer prevention that the selenomethionine." Sources for this form of selenium" include Astragalus," selenium-enriched garlic, onions, broccoli florets and sprouts, and wild leeks.
ICP believes that synthetic compounds can be made which will perform better than naturally-occurring compounds, with both improved efficacy and minimal side effects." They found that 1,4-phenylenebis (methylene) selenocyanate (p-XSC) and the metabolite glutathione conjugate (p-XSeSG) were promising agents in preventing breast cancer in rats because they inhibited the initiation phase of cancer.
Women at greatest risk for breast cancer:
- Have a family history of breast cancer, particularly mother" or grandmother.
- Are near the age of menopause.
Suggestions based on the above information:
- Consider supplementation with Astragalus
- Eat more onions, leeks, and brocoli sprouts
- Eat additional natural sources of selenium (brazil nuts have a high concentration)
- Regularly search literature for news on the preventive selenium compounds for breast cancer prevention.
Sources for this article include:
2. Whanger PD (2002). Selenocompounds in Plants and Animals and their Biological Significance. JACNu, Vol. 21, No. 3, 223-232
