Has anyone with a cancer condition been told to stop intake of oestrogen!?

Question

I had been a team manager and one of my team was diagnosed with cancer. (don't know what type) She began to suffer a lot of pain mainly in her back, tiredness etc. Didn't receive a lot of help from Dr's so searched the web for info. Found advice that with certain cancers a reduction of oestrogen which was in most dairy products made real difference as apparently this feeds certain cancers. She checked her diet and cut out all items with this ingredient. I was truly stunned at the change in this lady and how her health and mobility improved very quickly. I am not saying this is a cure but can't understand why this is not widely known or is it just that I did not know about it. Have lost a large number of family to this disease. So has anyone heard this before?

Answer 1

I had oestrogen dependent breast cancer (most, though by no means all, breast cancer is oestrogen driven) and I take an anti-oestrogen pill each day and will for a few more years.

Yes i have heard the argument that avoiding dairy products can help prevent/cure breast cancer. Jane Plant's book Your Life in your Hands describes her theories and experience in this matter. But it is by no means proven.

Before being diagnosed with breast cancer I had been a vegan for around ten years so had not eaten any dairy produce in that time; I'm still a vegan but have no illusions that this will cure me or prevent a recurrence.

I'm not surprised your friend's health improved after she stopped eating dairy; Cows' milk is not intended for humans and causes many health problems. But cancer? If it was the cause of cancer I'd still have two breasts.

Answer 2

Without knowing specifically what cancer you are talking about it is difficult to comment.

As far as estrogen and its relationship to certain cancers . . hormones including estrogen and testosterone are suspected to be a factor in some cancers.

However, there are conflicting studies when it comes to dairy products in the diet. There is some evidence that milk and dairy can prevent some types of breast cancer by 45 percent:

Dairy calcium linked to lower breast cancer risk
http://www.nutraingredients.com/news/ng.asp?n=78378-dairy-calcium-breast-cancer

So don't go putting those dairy products away yet.

Your friend should be careful during her research that she is looking at legitimate medical information. The Internet is filled with misinformation. She should look for information that has clearly documented scientific evidence. Other than that the information is likely someones 'opinion' or worse, someones business and their interest will be in selling you products or books to cure your cancer.

There is no scientific documented evidence that dairy products feed any type of cancer.

I am glad your friend feels better maybe she should investigate the possibility that she has an allergy or intolerance to dairy products.

Answer 3

These drugs are called anti hormonals, and some breast cancer patients have the type of breast cancer that is hormone driven. This is good news, because there are all sorts of anti-hormonals and they're easier to tolerate than chemo. One of the oldest of these drugs is tamoxifen. However...there's no way to even guess whether the drug she's taking will work or for how long. Some cancers adapt quickly to drug therapy (meaning the drug stops working) and others can take years. Even if this one doesn't work, however, there are others that can be tried, with or without chemo. So she does have lots of options. Also, as a very general rule, er+ tend to be less aggressive and more easily treated than hormone negative cancers, which only rely on chemo for drug therapy. So it's way too soon to panic.

Answer 4

My Mum was diagnosed with breast cancer when she was in her early thirties and it spread so that she had to have a hysterectomy. This resulted in a very early menopause and she had dreadful hot flushes and night sweats. Her doctor would not prescribe HRT because it contained oestrogen and would exacerbate her condition so I am sure that reducing anything which contains oestrogen would be beneficial. Doctors seem to know not to prescribe HRT but I've never before heard that reducing dairy products is beneficial. Wish I'd known before, my Mum loved her butter, cream cakes and chocolate but maybe if she'd stopped she'd be alive now.

Answer 5

Many cancers are receptive to oestrogen and the presence of this hormone causes them to grow faster. However, oestrogens can help prevent some cancers from forming.

Eg. Soy products and soy milk are high in phytoestrogens (plant form of oestrogen) and while they have been shown to be beneficial in the prevention of breast cancer forming, they can make the cancer grow faster once it forms.

Pain and tiredness are common side effects of some cancer treatments and the reduction of dairy intake may have helped with this. This may not have been related to a reduction in the actual cancer itself.

Answer 6

I had a meningioma brain tumor surgically removed 3 years ago. I was warned by other brain tumor survivors about the use of HRT in general and estrogen in particular because these hormones can cause certain types of tumors to grow more quickly. When my tumor was biopsied they found that my tumor did not contain estrogen receptors, so my tumor was not effected by estrogen.
Many breast cancer patients are given an estrogen blocker to slow down the cancer growth.
It makes sense that dairy products would contain estrogen since the milk comes from cows who have given birth and continue to lactate.
Soy products can cause our bodies to produce more estrogen. That's why women in menopause are advised to use soy products.
I agree with Panda. It is best to question doctors about the particular type of cancer and dietary guidelines to follow.

Answer 7

yes if its one that is affected by oestrogen. i had breast cancer and i read that if u have the one that is affected by it u shouldnt consume too much soya as this is a natural oestrogen hence why its recommended for menopausal women. also i have been told i wont be able to have HRT

Answer 8

YES