Mushroom, green tea cut breast cancer risk by 89 percent

A new study that suggests that eating lots of mushrooms and drinking lots of green tea could significantly reduce the risk of breast cancer.

Breast cancer is diagnosed in more than 190,000 women in the United States and kills about 50,000 in the country each year.

Each year, many women and men alike wear pink and walk to streets in October, the so called National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, to raise awareness of breast cancer and donate plenty of money to charities or whatever organizations for research in hopes that the disease could be eliminated soon. Still the reduction of the risk is tiny or merely less than 3 percent annually.

The study suggests that eating mushrooms and drinking green tea daily may be much more effective at reducing the risk of breast cancer than walking to streets to raise the awareness, which does not cut the risk of acquiring breast cancer although it does help send more women to receive mammogram screening.

The new research was published in the March 2009 issues of International Journal Cancer and was meant to investigate effects of dietary mushrooms and joint effects of mushrooms and green tea on the risk of breast cancer.

Dr. M Zhang at theUniversity of Western Australia and colleagues analyzed data from 1,009 female patients aged 20- 87 with histologically confirmed breast cancer and a similar number of healthy women who did not have the disease in southern China between 2004 and 2005. They surveyed the subjects for dietary intake of mushrooms and tea consumption, usual diet and lifestyle.

The researchers found those who ate 10 or more grams of fresh mushrooms or 4 or more grams of dried mushrooms each day were 64 percent less likely to develop breast cancer than those who did not. The inverse correlation was found in both pre- and postmenopausal women.

Those who both ate highest amounts of fresh and dried mushrooms and drank green tea or green tea preparation equivalent to 1.05 grams or more of green tea leaves daily were 89 percent less likely to develop breast cancer than those who consumed neither mushrooms nor green tea. The correlation was statistically significant.

Zhang and colleagues 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."

Be advised that the study merely shows a correlation, but does not prove that that is a causal relation between breast cancer and eating mushrooms and drinking green tea. Early studies suggest that mushrooms and green tea both are likely to offer a protective effect against the disease. But the mushroom eaters and green tea drinkers are also more likely than others to avoid other risk factors. For instance, they might eat less meat and dairy products. They may be more likely to have more time to follow a Natural lifestyle associated with low risk of the disease.

There are many things women can do to reduce the risk of breast cancer although doctors are only interested in finding the disease early. The medical circle characterizes the mammogram screening as a preventative measure which is not true.

Although it is advisable that women should have an awareness of breast cancer, women should not try to focus on detection and treatment as promoted by the medical circle without taking any real preventative measure to prevent the disease from developing in the first place.

Free mammogram screening is offered everywhere in this month. But be aware that this diagnostic tool based on x-ray is not only unreliable, but also can increase risk of breast cancer, according to Dr. Samuel S. Epstein, president of Cancer prevention Coalition says on its website www.prevencancer.com

"Contrary to popular belief and assurances by the U. S. media and the cancer establishment- the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and American Cancer Society (ACS)- mammography is not a technique for early diagnosis. In fact, a breast cancer has usually been present for about eight years before it can finally be detected," Epsteine says on its website.

"In striking contrast, annual clinical breast examination (CBE) by a trained health professional, together with monthly breast self-examination (BSE), is safe, at least as effective, and low in cost."

In the National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, women should learn to follow a healthy diet and lifestyle to prevent any cancer from developing in the first place. Any measure after the cancer is formed is for damage-control and the host of the malignancy will face risk of premature death from this disease.

By David Liu davidl at foodconsumer dot org