In recent years there has been an emphasis on breast cancer detection and a concerted push to find a cure. And well there should be. Breast cancer is the most common cause of cancer in women and the second most common cause of cancer death in women.

While breast cancer is most often thought of in conjunction with women, male breast cancer does occur. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) forecast 182,460 new cases of breast cancer in women in 2008 and 1,990 cases in men. NCI also predicted 40,480 women would die from breast cancer and 450 men.

A recent study, published in the International Journal of Cancer, shows success in the battle against breast cancer with the consumption of mushrooms and green tea. The study involved about 2,000 women, ages 20-87 years. Check my first report below to find out more

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Mushrooms, green tea may reduce breast cancer risk

April 2009

Consuming mushrooms and green tea may greatly reduce the risk of breast cancer, suggests a study that included more than 2,000 Chinese women.

Women who ate at least a third of an ounce of fresh mushrooms every day were 64% less likely to develop breast cancer, while those who ate dried mushrooms had about a 50% reduced risk. Women who ate mushrooms and drank green tea were nearly 90% less likely to develop the disease.

Previous laboratory tests on animals have shown that fungi may have anti-tumor properties and can stimulate the immune system’s defenses.

Reporting in the International Journal of Cancer, scientists involved in the current study wrote: "We conclude that higher dietary intake of mushrooms decreased breast cancer risk in pre- and postmenopausal Chinese women and an additional decreased risk of breast cancer from joint effect of mushrooms and green tea was observed. More research is warranted to examine the effects of dietary mushrooms and mechanism of joint effects of phytochemicals on breast cancer."

International Journal of Cancer 124(6):1404-1408, 2009

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Calcium, vitamin D appear to improve insulin levels

April 2009

Increased intakes of calcium and vitamin D may improve insulin levels and offer protection against diabetes, independent of dairy intake.

Writing in the Journal of Nutrition, Tianying Wu, Walter C. Willett and Edward Giovannucci from Harvard School of Public Health report that women with high intakes of calcium had 20% lower levels of C-peptide, a marker of insulin levels, while men with high vitamin D levels had similarly lower levels of the marker.

"The results suggest that calcium intake or systemic vitamin D status, after adjustment for intake of dairy products, is associated with decreased insulin secretion," they wrote.

The study is in-line with previous reports, including a meta-analysis and review published in 2007 in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, which found that the data from observational studies showed a "relatively consistent association" between low intakes of calcium, vitamin D, or dairy intake and type 2 diabetes, with highest levels associated with a 64% lower prevalence of the disease, and a 29% lower prevalence of metabolic syndrome among non-blacks.

When intake of calcium and vitamin D was combined, the inverse associations were still observed, with the highest versus lowest combined intake being associated with an 18% lower incidence of diabetes.

The new study used data from healthy men participating in the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study, and healthy women participating in the Nurses’ Health Study I. Intakes of total calcium and vitamin D and blood levels of 25 hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D), the storage form of vitamin D in the body, and fasting levels of C-peptide were measured.

C-peptide is often used as a measure of insulin levels—insulin is produced by splitting so-called pro-insulin, which forms one insulin molecule and one C-peptide.

The Boston-based researchers report that C-peptide levels were 20% lower in men with the highest blood levels of 25(OH)D, but no such association was observed in women.

On the other hand, the highest levels of calcium were associated with a 20% reduction in C-peptide levels in women, and a 17% reduction in men, compared to those with the lowest levels.

When Wu, Willett and Giovannucci combined calcium intake and blood levels of 25(OH)D, they found that the highest levels were associated with 35% and 12% lower levels of C-peptide.

Journal of Nutrition 139(3):547-554, 2009

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Green tea singled out for promoting healthy gums

April 2009

Consuming green tea may offer protection against gum disease, a condition that may affect over 30% of the population, according to a new study from Japan.

Researchers from Kyushu University in Fukuoka, Japan suggest that the antioxidant catechins may be responsible for the protective effects. Previous research has indicated that the antioxidant has anti-inflammatory effects, and gum disease has been linked to an inflammatory response to periodontal bacteria in the mouth. The researchers reported their findings in the Journal of Periodontology.

The study, led by Yoshihiro Shimazaki, adds to the ever-growing body of science supporting the anti-cancer benefits of green tea and its polyphenols.

Green tea contains between 30% and 40% of water-extractable polyphenols, while black tea (green tea that has been oxidized by fermentation) contains between 3% and 10%. Oolong tea is semi-fermented tea and is somewhere between green and black tea.

Shimazaki and his co-workers recruited 940 men aged 49 to 59 and analyzed if green tea consumption had any effect on the incidence of gum disease, as measured using periodontal pocket depth (PD), clinical attachment loss (CAL) of gum tissue and bleeding on probing (BOP) of the gum tissue.

"Since many of us enjoy green tea on a regular basis, my colleagues and I were eager to investigate the impact of green tea consumption on periodontal health, especially considering the escalating emphasis on the connection between periodontal health and overall health," said Dr. Shimazaki.

The Fukuoka-based researchers report that men who regularly drank green tea had superior periodontal health than their peers who drank less green tea.

Indeed, for every one cup of green tea consumed per day, there was a 0.023-mm decrease in the mean PD, a 0.028-mm decrease in the mean CAL and a 0.63% decrease in BOP.

Shimazaki and his co-workers propose that catechins may interfere with the body’s inflammatory response to periodontal bacteria, thereby promoting periodontal health, and warding off further disease.

The four primary polyphenols found in fresh tea leaves are epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), epigallocatechin, epicatechin gallate and epicatechin.

Journal of Periodontology 80(3):372-377, 2009

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