Nutritional strategies for breast cancer prevention: What have we learned and where do we go from here?

A pilot and feasibility study on the effects of naturopathic botanical and dietary interventions on sex steroid hormone metabolism in premenopausal women

Naturopathic physicians commonly make dietary and/or dietary supplement recommendations for breast cancer prevention. This placebo-controlled, parallel-arm, pilot study tested the effects of two naturopathic interventions over five menstrual cycles on sex steroid hormones and metabolic markers in 40 healthy premenopausal women. The intervention arms were as follows: combination botanical supplement (Curcuma longa, Cynara scolymus, Rosmarinus officinalis, Schisandra chinensis, Silybum marinum, and Taraxacum officinalis; n = 15), dietary changes (3 servings/d crucifers or dark leafy greens, 30 g/d fiber, 1-2 liters/d water, and limiting caffeine and alcohol consumption to 1 serving each/wk; n = 10), and placebo (n = 15). Early-and late-follicular phase serum samples from cycles 1 and 5 were analyzed for estrogens (estrone, estrone-sulfate, total estradiol, and free estradiol), androgens (dehydroepiandrosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate, androstenedione, total testosterone, and free testosterone), sex hormone-binding globulin, and metabolic markers (insulin, insulin-like growth factor-I, insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3, and leptin). Serum samples collected during the mid-luteal phase of cycles 1 and 5 were analyzed for total estradiol, free estradiol, and sex hormone-binding globulin. Urine samples collected during the late follicular phase of cycles 1 and 5 were analyzed for 2-hydroxyestrone and 16alpha-hydroxyestrone. During the early follicular phase, compared with placebo, the botanical supplement decreased dehydroepiandrosterone (-13.2%; P = 0.02), dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate (-14.6%; P = 0.07), androstenedione (-8.6%; P = 0.05), and estrone-sulfate (-12.0%; P = 0.08). No other trends or statistically significant changes were observed. When comparing dietary changes with placebo, no statistically significant differences were observed. Overall, in this pilot study, the naturopathic interventions had no substantial effects on estrogen measures. Early-follicular phase androgens decreased with the botanical supplement.

Effect of linoleic acid on proliferation and gene expression in the breast cancer cell line T47D

Human and animal studies have linked n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids with mammary carcinogenesis. We investigated the cellular and molecular effects of linoleic acid on the human breast cancer cell line T47D. Linoleic acid had a stimulatory effect on the growth of T47D cells, associated with an increase in the proportion of cells in the S phase of the cell cycle. Microarray, functional group and quantitative PCR analyses indicate that linoleic acid may affect T47D cell growth by modulation of the estrogen receptor (ERalpha), the G13alpha G protein, and p38 MAP kinase gene expression as well genes involved in RNA transcription and cell cycle regulation.