As I said before on this thread I was vegetarian for 32 years and for the last 10 have been 100% vegan but I still got bc so cant really say that I think diet as anything to do with it having said that I still think vegan is healthier, but everyone must do what is best for them,
Celia.x
I very rarely post on here nowadays, but have been reading this thread with interest. Not so much because of the content, but because of the pettiness - ie the comment regarding mispelling of specifically. Cheap shot and very much bullying.
Dear Swallowtail, I disagree with you on the point you made about diet has got nothing to do with BC and using yourself as an example. One can be vegetatian and eat loads of dairy or vegan and not have enough variety and right types of food to keep the body balanced. As I have said before, I think BC is not just about the food we eat, but our lifestyle,stress levels,environmental pollution,toxins, high levels of eostrogen, etc etc. I am very interested in the alkaline/acid balance that we maintain in our body and how that can cause imbalances and then disease.
Finty…
I am really enjoying this thread and want to give you a stroke for sticking in there despite some very difficult comments!! Best wishes everyone
Another suggestion that there is not a higher rates of cancer in France and Italy may be that there is a much higher quality of food eaten. Would it be a fair comment to say that in those countries food is given higher priority and there is less over processed convenience food eaten? So although there is more red meat and dairy eaten, there is much less processed chemical food eaten. Higher levels of good olive oil and quality fresh produce would help counteract the high red meat and dairy consumption.
Just a thought.
I think it has to be accepted that while there are some very healthy vegans with a low risk profile get bc, and very sadly, somewhere along the way their bodies created a strong pre-disposition to cancer, the vast majority of women do fit a risk profile and diet could be a great way to increase survival odds, even if only by 1 or 2 %.
I eat 90% super healthy. BUT I still have a splash of milk in tea, have red meat occasionally and still love cakes and biscuits. Of course everyone has to make their own decisions about diet. Hopefully these threads help the women who want to make a difference yet get woeful dietry advice from the NHS.
Thanks Leadie - cute dogs 
Gretchen I think that is a fair point about food quality in places like France and Italy. Although when my son went to France last year on a school exchange - having been warned by me to expect lots of rustic home cooking that he was to eat and be very polite about - he was surprised to find himself given microwave pasta or pizza every night! Another illusion shattered.
Hello Leadie feel free to disagree I really dont mind I didnt say diet had nothing to do with bc I said that I personaly didnt think it had which is a diferent thing I am not an expert on anything only speaking as it affects me you are correct in saying that a vegetarian diet can be high in dairy you can be vegetarian and eat nothing but junk if you wish, I agree with you on the lifestyle issues I took hrt which wouldnt have helped I am not trying to be contentious or anything like that, I belive a vegan diet to be the best but it is not for everyone, and I admire Finty for sticking with her point as well,she as some very good points to make and I agree with what she says just wouldnt want anyone to think that if you follow a vegan lifstyle you would not get bc,
Celia.x
Flinty, Ah well, it sounded a feasible reason at the time! Maybe the French & Italians aren’t all eating rustic, organic home made produce, it is just a lie fed to us by Jamie Oliver and the like!
Thanks Celia - I do agree that you can do absolutely everything right, be a strict vegan your entire life, and still get cancer - I just think it is a little less likely.
Gretchen - I hope my son’s experience is atypical - I do think the French and Italians care much more about quality than us, and many still shop in local markets, with lovely fresh produce. But I guess everywhere is becoming more Americanised in food culture - its an unstoppable juggernaut, sadly.
The French people I know who have a more traditional less Americanised diet, do regularly eat meat and cheese but in very small quantities. They eat a lot of salad and fruit and virtually no cakes, chocolate, butter or processed food. Also have quite a bit of fish so it’s not meat every meal. Don’t know how typical they are though …
I think perhaps the UK diet isn’t as good as the French/italian diet overall but then don’t we have quite high rates of cancer everywhere in Europe?
Diet is all about reducing risk not eliminating risk. It is complex and as individuals we need to make decisions on that risk. I still eat some foods with sugar which I know aren’t nutritious. I try to eat well at least 80 to 90% of the time but I’m always aiming higher! Even if diet wasn’t linked directly to cancer, then giving our bodies the best nutrition possible must be helpful when facing any disease eg. boosting our immune system etc.
hi Swallowtail, Thanks for your comments and agree with the HRT. They are now trying to get people off HRT as it is now considered a cancer risk! This is a typical example of the medical profession thinking HRT was the cure for all menopausal symptons and then some years down the line it’s a cancer risk! I think the pill will go the same way, it makes the body full of hormones that shouldn’t be there!
This is one of the reasons why people loose faith in a medical profession that is driven by drug companies!!! Statins is another example
End of rant!!!
^
Hi Mel - this isn’t an area I know anything about, but this link from the Mayo Clinic might be a good place to start. finty x
.
Elinda - the highest European bc rates (as of 2000) are in the Netherlands, Denmark, France, Belgium, Sweden, Finland, the UK, Germany and Iceland (in that order). The lowest rates are in Spain, Greece, Latvia, Belarus, Macedonia and Lithuania.
Thanks for the link - will check it out. The Omega 6/3 was a big thing for me as well - even though I was eating mainly veggie food, I ate loads of bread and cheese, and very little Omega 3.
^
Hi Ladies,
Well, its great to read all the latest comments on this thread and lovely that other ladies are taking part in the dabate it can get a bit boreing when its just the same old few of us repeating the same old thing,its realy good to get a much broader spectrum of all the different views on the diet Red Meat, Dairy issue and hopefully now we will all be able to get back to discussing what is important and what is the heading of this topic … Diet-red meat,
I recieved a lovely email today from Tim Key ( EPIC Study ) i thought some of the ladies here might find it interesting so ive posted it below to give us some answers on diet and BC from the largest ever study (well Massive actualy) ever conducted to date .
Professor Tim Key,
Deputy Director, Cancer Epidemiology Unit,
University of Oxford, Richard Doll Building,
Roosevelt Drive, Oxford OX3 7LF
<script type=“text/javascript”>eval(unescape(‘%64%6f%63%75%6d%65%6e%74%2e%77%72%69%74%65%28%27%3c%61%20%68%72%65%66%3d%22%6d%61%69%6c%74%6f%3a%54%69%6d%2e%4b%65%79%40%63%65%75%2e%6f%78%2e%61%63%2e%75%6b%22%3e%54%69%6d%2e%4b%65%79%40%63%65%75%2e%6f%78%2e%61%63%2e%75%6b%3c%2f%61%3e%27%29%3b’))</script>
Hi Linda
Thank you for your email.I am sorry for the delay in replying,I was
away last week. I have tried to answer your questions - see below.
- Has EPIC found a “vegan” (not vegatarian) diet to be better for
fighting/preventing breast cancer . - Has Dairy/Red meat/Eggs/Sugar been found to be
cancer contributeing/causeing in breast cancer.
The answer is the same for both these questions. The only dietary
factors that definitely increase the risk of breast cancer are obesity
and alcohol. No other aspect of diet such as vegetarianism, meat, dairy,
sugar etc. has been definitely shown to affect the risk for developing
breast cancer. However, research on this is continuing and it may be
that some links will be found in the future. In relation to vegan diets
there is simply not enough information anywhere in the world to draw any
conclusions.
In relation to fighting breast cancer, the only strong evidence in
relation to diet is that obesity has been associated with a higher risk
of the disease progressing.
- Re IGF1 levels , have higher levels of IGF1 proved to cause breast
cancer.
There is now a substantial amount of evidence suggesting that women with
relatively high blood concentrations of IGF-I do have a moderately
higher risk for developing breast cancer compared to women with
relatively low IGF-I. It seems likely therefore that IGF-I does play a
role in increasing risk. However, more research is needed to clarify
the importance of IGF-I.
- Is the hormones in Cows Milk a factor in causeing breast cancer
This is not known.
- Can useing suppliements help in breast cancer fighting/prevention.
No, not as far as we know at present.
6.Some also believe that “the intensive diet lifestyle change prostrate
study” ,is proof that a vegan diet does prevent cancer progression.
This research area is interesting but there is not yet enough known to
draw any firm conclusions, therefore there is not any proof that a vegan
diet does prevent cancer progression.
I hope that these answers are helpful - there is still a lot that we
don’t know. Some of our research here is following the possibility that
dairy products might perhaps increase risk by increasing IGF-I, but we
don’t know yet if there is much truth in this hypothesis. Therefore the
best dietary advice we can give is to choose a conventional “healthy
diet”, to avoid obesity, and to limit alcohol consumption.
With best wishes
Tim Key
Well , as i expected there is absolutely no proof at this time re Red Meat-Dairy so its good to hear it from the experts on the subject.
Linda
Hi , I’ve been Reading this thread but haven’t posted, but wanted to say how interesing it is, and also the email that you copied for us was great linda, thanks.
Vickie
Ladies,
Following some of the inappropriate comments that have been running through this thread could we just remind you all that if you find any posts in these forums going against our Community Guidelines that you use the ‘report post’ function rather than commenting publicly. By reporting this way it enables the moderation team to take the appropriate action and also helps to make sure the thread doesn’t get sidetracked or off-topic.
breastcancercare.org.uk/forum/community-guidelines-please-read-t25601.html
A portion of the Community Guidelines reads:
“If someone posts something you feel violates our community guidelines or terms of conditions, report it immediately then ignore it. Click ‘report this comment’ or email:
<script type=“text/javascript”>eval(unescape(‘%64%6f%63%75%6d%65%6e%74%2e%77%72%69%74%65%28%27%3c%61%20%68%72%65%66%3d%22%6d%61%69%6c%74%6f%3a%6d%6f%64%65%72%61%74%6f%72%40%62%72%65%61%73%74%63%61%6e%63%65%72%63%61%72%65%2e%6f%72%67%2e%75%6b%22%3e%6d%6f%64%65%72%61%74%6f%72%40%62%72%65%61%73%74%63%61%6e%63%65%72%63%61%72%65%2e%6f%72%67%2e%75%6b%3c%2f%61%3e%27%29%3b’))</script>.”
Many thanks.
Jo, Facilitator