Estrogen, Alcohol and Breast Cancer
Estrogen, alcohol and breast cancer – what is the relationship between these three things? Recent studies have revealed that there is a relationship between estrogen, alcohol and breast cancer. If you suffer from menopause symptoms, you are probably using hormone replacement therapy. Let’s hope that you are using natural bioidentical hormone replacement therapy if you are on HRT. Just what is it exactly – the relationship between estrogen, alcohol and breast cancer and what should you be doing in order to avoid breast cancer?
Research has found that alcohol consumption is indeed a contributing factor to breast cancer. It is also known that red wine has many benefits to your health. This can be confusing and you may wonder if you can still drink red wine, especially if you are suffering from hot flashes.
Red wine contains resveratol. Red wine is healthier because white wine and hard liquor do not contain this ingredient. Resveratrol is good for you because it prevents diseases, it is a powerful antioxidant, it is involved in the aging process of our genes. It can be found in red wine from France and can also be taken as a supplement. However, the key to drinking wine is to limit your intake, especially if you are a woman.
Alcohol stays in a woman’s body longer because of our fat deposits and will cause an increase in estrogen levels. If you have read about estrogen dominance, you will have noted that estrogen dominance will cause among other symptoms, hot flashes and breast cancer. Alcohol has a direct influence on estradiol levels in the body. When you consume alcohol, estrogen levels increase and when you stop drinking, the levels of estrogen in the body decrease. When these levels of estrogen falls, you will experience hot flashes. Estrogen use and breast cancer are linked in women who drink. It is recommended that a woman reduce her intake of alcohol to less than one drink per day. That means, if you are going to drink alcohol, you should drink only red wine and only drink a couple of glasses of week. If you choose to eliminate all alcohol from your life, then you should use resveratrol supplements.
Breast cancer is a cancer that is “fed” by estrogen. One should never take estrogen alone. If you are on natural bioidentical hormones, you should always be taking natural progesterone along with the estrogen. Natural progesterone counteracts the negative effects of estrogen and estrogen dominance. We need estrogen, but the amount of estrogen in our bodies must be tested and controlled. Natural progesterone counteracts the negative effects of estrogen.
There are three hormones which make up estrogen, those being estriol, estradiol and estrone. Estriol is the weakest estrogen and has protective effects. Estriol helps maintain healthy vaginal mucosa and prevents urinary tract infections when used as a vaginal cream. It also helps protect against breast cancer.
Natural bioidentical progesterone, not to be confused with synthetic progestins, also protects against breast cancer. In a 1981 study from John Hopkins, breast cancer was found to be 5.4 times greater in women with low progesterone.
Nutritional supplements you should be taking to protect your breasts from breast cancer include:
Folic acid
Green tea extract
Vitamin D – at least 1000 units a day
Selenium
Lycopene – 15 mg a day
Indol-3 carbinol
Vitamin E gamma-tocopherol
Melatonin
Other things you can do to avoid breast cancer include eating a diet low in fat, avoiding red meat, eating lots of cruciferous vegetables which are high in antioxidants and cancer fighting agents, exercising regularly, ensuring you get enough sleep and avoiding stress.
What’s the message here? Breast cancer can be avoided if you keep your progesterone levels at a normal rate. Also, check your estrogen levels and avoid estrogen dominance. But no matter what, alcohol will effect you negatively if you drink too much of it. It will cause hot flashes and manipulate your estrogen levels and lead to breast cancer. Supplement your declining hormones with natural bioidentical hormones, have regular hormone testing and avoid drinking too much alcohol and, if you must, red wine is the only alcohol you should drink, but in moderation.
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Bioidentical Doctors List Update
We have added some more doctors who can prescribe bioidentical hormone therapy for those experiencing the symptoms of menopause and andropause. If you are looking for an antiaging specialist, weight loss assistance, or natural bioidentical hormone doctors in either California, Arizona, Illinois, Florida or Ohio, the following doctors have been added to our database. Please check our bioidentical doctors page for further information on their names and addresses.
The following doctors have been added:
- Thomas Rohde, M.D., Renew Total Body Wellness Center, Decatur, IL.
- Marina V. Kulick, M.D., PLC, Tarpon Springs, Fl.
- Judi Goldstone, M.D., Board Certified Internal Medicine, Anti-Aging Medicine, Bio-Identical Hormone Replacement
Medically Supervised Weight Loss, Torrance, CA. - Gina L. Nick, M.D., LTP Natural Medical Center, Laguna Beach, CA
- Linda Lambert, NMD, Tranquil Health Center, Mesa, AZ
- Melanie Parsons, M.D., Millennium Wellness Columbus, Dublin, Ohio
For full details, go to our Bioidentical Hormone Doctors page.
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