Are Environmental Toxins Causing Breast Cancer?
A woman's lifetime risk of breast cancer was one in 22 in the 1940s. Today, it is one in eight.
"This increase can't be attributed totally to genetic causation, and yet genetic causes [along with lifestyle factors such as a woman's reproductive history, alcohol use and exercise] remain the focus of most research, " says Dr. Ana Soto, a Tufts University breast cancer researcher. "I believe it is high time to seriously consider environmental chemicals as the most likely cause of this sudden increase in risk."
Dr. Soto was among several experts to testify at an informal hearing on breast cancer and the environment, jointly sponsored by the Senate Health and Human Services Committee and Assembly Health Committee in California. Currently, California is facing the highest incidence of breast cancer in the nation, and is looking into the possibility of chemicals in the air, water, food and soil as the cause of this problem. According to Dr. Soto, there is already some evidence to suggest a link.
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"The increasing risk of breast cancer and other cancers has paralleled the proliferation of synthetic chemicals since World War II," says Dr. Soto. Unfortunately, only seven percent of the estimated 85,000 chemicals registered for use in the United States have been reviewed for toxicity.
Dr. Soto first began investigating the health effects of environmental chemicals in 1989 when she made an accidental discovery in her research. She found that some laboratory plastics emitted chemicals that mimicked the female hormone estrogen, which can cause breast cells to proliferate and lead to cancer.
"Due to the vast number of chemicals in the environment, linking them to breast cancer is going to be daunting," says Dr. Soto. However, "searching for environmental agents may produce evidence that can be used to prevent cancer."
Of course, the increase in the number of woman with breast cancer isn't the only disease affected by toxins in our environment. Due to the incredible amount of toxic chemicals that we are exposed to today, we are also at risk of Alzheimer's disease, heart disease and type 2 diabetes-as well as a number of mental and/or behavioral disorders such as depression and attention deficit disorder.
In addition, since the liver is essentially the body's refinery, our livers are working overtime to detoxify these harmful chemicals. That's why I formulated my new Liver Support, which contains eight of the specific nutrients and herbs scientifically proven to support the health and function of the liver. It's a simple way to give your liver the support it needs to help defend against the onslaught of environmental chemicals, pollutants and toxins that daily threaten your health.
