Turning Off Breast Cancer by Daniella Chace

Author:Daniella Chace [Chace, Daniella]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781632207586
Publisher: Skyhorse
Published: 2015-06-29T05:00:00+00:00

Some microbes are symbiotic and provide health benefits, while others are pathogenic and may cause illness.

Microbes and Estrogens

We need microflora to do jobs for us such as metabolizing our internally produced hormones and phytoestrogens, which are the hormones we ingest from plant foods.

Microbes and Digestion

Microbes also transform nutrients so that we can metabolize, or absorb, them properly.

Microbes and Infection

The healthful bacteria also protect us from pathogenic bacterial, fungal, and viral infections. When our healthy flora are growing and colonizing along our intestinal walls, they keep the unhealthy fungi and bacteria from adhering and growing.

They also promote immune function and, since nearly 70 percent of the immune system’s function happens in the colon, these organisms can inhibit tumor formation.

Initial Colonization of Our Bodies

When we are born we have our first exposure to these healthy organisms through our mother’s birth canal and through our mother’s milk. As babies, we ingest more bacteria from sucking on objects, crawling on the ground, and putting our hands in our mouths. As adults we continue to colonize more bacteria in our digestive tracts by picking up organisms from foods, especially cultured or fermented foods, such as kimchi, sauerkraut, and kefir.

Antibiotics

Each organism finds a niche where it may grow for many years. When we take antibiotics, we kill off many of the bad (pathogenic) bacteria, but also the healthful organisms. Other medications also reduce the number of desired bacteria in our gut, such as NSAIDs (Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs), steroids, and even chemotherapy.

Dysbiosis

Imbalance in microbial communities is called microbial dysbiosis. When the microbial ecology is disturbed from illness, medications, diet, genetic conditions, or hormonal imbalance it often leads to abnormalities.

Reduced levels of normal microbes have been found to lead to lower circulating lymphocytes and increased neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, a finding which has been associated with a decreased survival in women with breast cancers.

Dysbiosis also plays a role in the recycling of estrogens via circulation through the liver, increasing the effect of estrogen, which is another leading cause of breast malignancy.

Causes of Dysbiosis

Many factors influence microbial growth. A poor diet is the leading cause of dysbiosis. Low fiber and high sugar lead to the growth of fungi and unhealthy bacteria. Also, antibiotic use greatly reduces microbial numbers of both pathogenic and healthful organisms. Stress hormones, such as cortisol, can also hinder the growth of our beneficial microbes.

Toxins such as chlorinated water damage microbes in the digestive tract. Dietary sugar feeds organisms that are harmless unless their numbers increase, at which point an overgrowth can become pathogenetic. For example, candida, proteus mirabilis, and klebsiella pneumoniae are often part of a normal healthy ecology but they all easily overgrow from exposure to dietary sugar.

Breast Protective Microbes

When researchers investigated the potential role of microbiota in breast cancer, they tested breast tumor tissue and normal tissue from the same patient. Researchers concluded that bacteria may be influencing the local immune microenvironment (Lakritz et al., 2014).

Pathogenic Bacteria and Breast Cancer

Researchers who study breast microbiota DNA found that breast cancer patients have lower numbers of helpful bacteria in their intestines and they also have a specific imbalance in the ducts in their breasts.

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