Diet for breast cancer

Posted by sihamk @sihamk, May 17, 2024

I need help in knowing what type of food to eat and what to avoid for breast cancer please

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The doctor I see on the side (not main hospital oncologist) told me have two spoon of ground flaxseeds is better than any medicine for breast cancer; his office also told me to stay completely away from meat and dairy. So far I still eat egg and yogurt but I don’t eat meat anymore other than occasionally. Sardine and salmon are every other days.

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@resort The type of cancer we seek to prevent from recurring may influence diet. I had HR+, HER2- BC and my oncologist told me to avoid foods with plant estrogen. I researched flax seed, tofu, beans, etc. and the recommendation is to avoid these because while these foods help prevent some cancers, they help stimulate recurrence of others, such as the BC I had. Consequently I stopped eating flax seed. I do feel somewhat stymied over the exhortations to eat healthy AND avoid certain healthy foods: what can I eat that helps more than hurts?

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I'm not sure if anyone has mentioned this website:
https://foodforbreastcancer.com
It offers helpful information but I sometimes wonder about certain statements. In the section "Foods can reduce some aromatase inhibitor side effects" it states, "Women should not use copper bracelets or copper compression garments to relieve arthritis pain. Copper has been shown to contribute to angiogenesis and metastasis of breast cancer." But I have been unable to confirm that finding elsewhere and no sources are provided.

So now I'll need to ask my oncologist or PA about this copper claim since I have a pair of copper fit socks and I like them!

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I am curious about patients drinking hibiscus tea after treatment for estrogen-related breast cancer. There seems to be a lot of controversy about this. Has anyone on the forum done a deep dive on this subject? Thank you. The following was copied from a website. I’ll try to edit this comment and give the reference if I can find it again.

Why People Think It Increases Estrogen

Hibiscus contains phytoestrogens – natural plant compounds that have a similar chemical structure to human estrogen. When you drink hibiscus tea, these phytoestrogens can bind to estrogen receptors in your body and produce weak estrogen-like effects.

This is why some sources say hibiscus “increases estrogen” – they are referring to estrogenic activity, not actual estrogen levels.

Why Research Suggests It May Decrease Estrogen

Several studies (including those in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology) show that high doses of hibiscus extract may lower circulating estrogen over time.

The proposed mechanism: hibiscus may affect aromatase (the enzyme that produces estrogen), leading to reduced synthesis.

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