Breast Health and Supplements

There have been a few studies on the relationship between specific nutrients and their affects on breast cancer....Vitamin D, Iodine, Curcumin, B vitamins, zinc, selenium and magnesium...all showing varying degrees of action when it comes to prevention.  Quite honestly,  researchers really cannot perform true double-blind randomized trials when it comes to breast cancer.  Whom would you pick to make the sacrifice of possibly getting the cancer in the trial?

I'm not a big fan of taking individualized supplements...all supplements that aren't whole food are fractionalized and extracted and are of dubious benefit, to say the least.  I do think that certain nutriceuticals are of great benefit for all of us who wish to live as healthy a lifestyle as possible and here are my recommendations:

First, whenever possible get 15-20 minutes of sunshine a day (this is for those who aren't susceptible to skin cancer).  You need to expose as much of your body the sun as possible.  In the northern climates, you'll need a whole food D-3 in the winter.

Second, eat 7-9 servings of organic (whenever possible) vegetables and fruit a day, concentrating on fruits that contain the highest concentration of anti-oxidants and at least 2 servings of dark green leafy vegetables and 2 servings of cruciferous vegetables a day.  All my entree recipes contain a minimum of 6 servings of vegetables, so it is very possible to eat that quantity each day.

Third, take a whole food probiotic each day...do NOT rely on yogurt as it is a cow's milk base and contains little active bacteria.

A supplement containing calcium, magnesium and potassium as well as either an organic greens drink or whole food multi-vitamin ( I recommend the greens as it contains all the phytonutrients one needs each day).

In the winter or flu season, I recommend a whole food garlic either Standard Process or Mediherb) for its anti-viral properties as well as its immune system building properties.

Except for those who have the breast cancer gene, at present, I believe these supplements are sufficient for those interested in living a healthy lifestyle.