Yearly mammography has been found to be not as effective a screening method as first thought (while colonoscopy is effective) and is a poor choice for breast cancer prevention.
Mammography may be useful in early detection in some cases, but as a health strategy it is poorly lacking. Lifestyle changes can and do make a difference and as we learn more, there is a lot you can do to prevent breast cancer.
Are you simply lucky if you don’t get breast cancer? After all, 1 in 8 women will get it. While there is a lot we do not know about breast cancer, there is a lot we DO know about it. Irradiating our breasts with mammography each and every year is a failed screening method. This does nothing to prevent breast cancer, in fact, it adds to the toxic exposure of sensitive breast tissue to ionizing radiation.
We need to be a lot more proactive if we are going to prevent breast cancer. With science behind certain actions, we can accomplish that goal.
Leptin: More Than Just Appetite Regulation
Leptin is a hormone made by fat cells (adipose tissue) that acts on the brain to regulate food intake and body weight. The level of circulating leptin is proportional to the total amount of fat in the body. Leptin signals the brain that the body has had enough to eat, producing a feeling of satiety. However, there is a lot more to leptin than just involvement in appetite control.
Leptin seems to be involved in reproduction by stimulating gonadotropin-releasing hormone from the hypothalamus. Some studies have indicated that leptin levels outside an ideal range can have a negative effect on egg quality and outcome during in vitro fertilization.
Leptin can affect bone metabolism via direct signalling from the brain. It is well-established that leptin is involved in the regulation of the inflammatory response. It has been further theorized that leptin’s role as an inflammatory marker is to respond specifically to adipose-derived inflammatory cytokines. Circulating leptin seems to affect the HPA axis, suggesting a role for leptin in the stress response.
Leptin and Breast Health
There is a positive correlation with serum leptin and estrogen levels in premenopausal women. However, the increase in obesity in postmenopausal women increases leptin levels, which increases insulin resistance.
Research has found that breast cancer cells express high levels of leptin and its receptors. Furthermore, leptin and adiponectin pathways are involved in proliferation processes in breast cancer. Leptin turns on estradiol signaling inside the cell, so when leptin hits the receptors, it is just as if estrogen hit the receptors – even in the absence of estrogen.
Additionally, it has been found that when leptin is high, Tamoxifen does not work as well to block estrogen.
This article was a guest post at Greenmedinfo.com last week.
Read more about leptin, aromatase and how to become more proactive and make practical lifestyle changes in the prevention of breast cancer at Greenmedinfo.com
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