Any vegetarians or vegans diagnosed?

Life after a breast cancer diagnosis Living with breast cancer
1

Hi, well here I go again with another of my questions!
I was just wondering how many vegetarians or vegans get diagnosed with Breast Cancer and what type you were diagnosed with?
Clarabelle

2

Hi, I am a vegetarian and was dx with Grade 3 Invasive ductal carcinoma (lump was 2.5cm in size and lymph nodes were clear) in February 2008.

Rachy

3

I’ve been a veggie since my teens and was dx with 2.4cm,grade3 triple neg tumour with node involvement at 45. Went dairy free as well during chemo and have remained so. I’m 5+yrs in remission.

Josie

4

Thanks for the replies Rachy and Josie.
Next question has to be whether you were dairy free prior to diagnosis - Rachy?

5

my partner is veggie and as I result my diet was mostly veggie in the run up to my diagnosis and I was convinced (for about a week) that this was the reason I got cancer. I read conflicting info about breast cancer, dairy and plant oestrogens in soya online and got in a right tizz. I stopped dairy, quorn and soya (forgeting that quorn is not made with soya). However, as the months passed I’m more of the opinion that I could have got cancer for any number of reasons or maybe no reason at all and that my diet is probably not the reason since my mother also got breast cancer and is a non-smoking, non-drinking, physically active, meat eater. What do you Guys think about the information that’s out there on diet and breat cancer? Have you found a good trusted source? My posts always end up longer than I’d like! Sorry :slight_smile:

6

I felt very isolated when I found out I was triple neg until I read Jane Plant’s book during chemo. It threw me a lifeline! Going dairy free was my crutch- and yes,I really thought it was the reason my cancer didn’t come back. Maybe I convinced myself to help me get through the early years after dx but it sure helped me feel better knowing I was doing my bit.On dx I was given a 35% chance of just being here in 5ys. I’m not just still alive but still cancer free. Going dairyfree certainly hasn’t done me any harm - I feel fitter than pre BC days and have no problem maintaining a healthy weight.Swedish Glace icecream is delicious and so are many other dairy free alternatives, but I still miss my mature cheddar as the vegan one tastes like lard!
Josie x

7

No I wasn’t dairy free before dx and am still not. I know there is a school of thought that believes that dairy free is the way to stop recurrences of cancer but there are so many other factors to consider so am unsure about it. i have just been dx with osteoporosis in hips and spine so keeping calcium up at the moment. I have never been a great lover of milk or eggs. I love cheese and all the alternatives have tasted horrible. I have an open mind on the dairy frre diet as have not really looked into it fully.

Rachy

8

Hi
I’ve been vegetarian due to the animal rights aspect since my early twenties. Diagnosed aged 35 in Sept 08 with grade 3 triple negative 15mm no lymph nodes involved. Have since gone back to meat eating though as i thought why am i denying myself :slight_smile:

9

Hi all

Just thought you might find the BCC fact sheet on diet and breast cancer interesting to read. It can be found by going to the following link:-

breastcancercare.org.uk/upload/pdf/diet_and_breast_cancer_dec_06_0.pdf

I hope you find this useful.

Kind regards
Sam (BCC Facilitator)

10

Thanks for all your replies so far -
Blondebird I would be interested to know if you were dairy free before diagnosis?
Jimmi there is a known and well puplished link to diet and breast cancer - in particular saturated fats from meat and dairy, hence my questions on the subject.Trials show that vegeatians have a 30% lower risk of getting Breast Cancer but not enough trials have been done on non dairy veggies so it is not known whether being dairy free has any benefits! If you are interested in what foods do what read some of the Patrick Holford books - ‘Say no to cancer’ is very apt’!!
Clarabelle

11

Hi, i am veggie and dairy free, used soya milk on cereals and carob bars for chocolate and was dianosed, lobular and ductual grade 2 no lymph involvement May 2007. I have now given up the soya and have oat milk.

Hope that helps a bit
Suzy

12

I know or have known several people who followed a dairy free diet after primary diagnosis, and then had their breast cancer return. Some of them are now dead.

The evidence that a dairy free diet prevents breast cancer occurring or recurring is thin indeed.

Jane

13

Hi Jane, yes so have I and a very close friend was vegan many years before her diagnosis.

14

I have been vegetarian for nearly 30 years and was diagnosed stage IV from the start. I have read Jane Plant and Patrick Holford and believe them to be misleading and unsubstantiated.

Could someone who knows about trials which have been carried out investigating vegetarian/dairy-free diet and breast cancer post the links, please? I would really like to read some scientific research on this matter. (My Patrick Holford specifically explained that there were no trials carried out, because of the expense involved, for no profit). Thanks.

Jenny

15

Hi Clarabelle
I have never been diary free no…apologies for late reply !

16

I have over 30 different books on the subject (Including Patrick Holford Books) and all have the research papers/trials held they refer to and where they can be found in the books appendix - its then up to the reader to look them up and read them in their entirety if they wish - an arduos task but well worth the effort if you want to know the indepth details.

17

When considering trials and research its not only the number of papers which matters its the authenticity, reliability and validity of the trial. Double blind randomised trials are the best indicators of scientific reliability. Like jennywren I would like to have references to these so called trials so that I can see for myself whether they have been conducted in a scintific way or not.

Jane

18

I am not a great believer in saying " my oncologist says" but I did once discuss this specific question with him and he said there was absolutley no credible scientific evidence to support any of this. I take this like Jane to mean double blind randomised trials and would add of a reasonable size.

cathy

19

There are no clinical trials listed in Patrick Holfords books that I can find, though there are references to published papers.

Jenny

(edited to add apologies, there are some trials listed in his references).

Jenny

20

Hi,
other good sources are the British Medical Journal (BMJ) or the Lancet but you do have to subscribe to these :frowning: and the WCRF (World Cancer Research Fund).
Clarabelle