People with autoimmune thyroid conditions such as Graves’ Disease are more likely to develop other autoimmune conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus. But are they likely to develop other conditions, such as cancer? Well, a recent study revealed that people with Graves’ Disease do have a higher risk of cancer, with thyroid cancer and breast cancer being more common (1) [1].
Although I’ll be discussing some things women can do to prevent breast cancer from developing, there are certain things people can do in general to prevent the onset of cancer. Of course one wants to begin by eating well, as eating a diet high in refined sugars will make someone more susceptible to developing many different types of chronic health conditions, including cancer. So eating a healthy diet can help greatly in preventing different types of cancers from developing. Certain toxins can also cause cancer to develop, which is why you want to try to minimize your exposure to such toxins by avoiding foods with artificial ingredients, drinking purified water, and using natural products.
4 Things Women Can Do To Prevent Breast Cancer From Developing:
In addition to eating well and minimizing one’s exposure to toxins, there are four specific things women can do in order to prevent breast cancer from developing:
1. Get the vitamin D levels above 50 ng/mL
There is evidence that having adequate vitamin D levels can prevent breast cancer from developing (2) [2] (3) [3]. In fact, vitamin D might also prevent the development of other types of cancers as well (4) [4]. I’ve spoken about the importance of vitamin D in previous articles and posts, as vitamin D is important for optimal immune system health, and thus it is essential for anyone with an autoimmune thyroid condition to have sufficient vitamin D levels. Although most lab reference ranges have a lower level of 30 ng/mL, for optimal immune system health you want the levels to be at least 50 ng/mL, and 60 to 70 ng/mL would be even better.
2. Balance the sex hormones.
An imbalance in the hormones estrogen and progesterone can also make someone more susceptible to breast cancer. And since estrogen dominance is so common this can’t be overlooked in women, and even men. Even though most of my patients are women, I’ve consulted with some men who had estrogen dominance, which can set the stage for not only breast cancer, but other types of cancers as well (5) [5] (6) [6].
3. Correct any iodine deficiency
Iodine supplementation in people with autoimmune thyroid conditions is very controversial. I’ve tackled this topic a few different times, and the goal here isn’t to get into detail about the risks and benefits of iodine supplementation in people with Graves’ Disease, as I’ve discussed this in other articles. But when it comes to preventing breast cancer, there is evidence that iodine is important when it comes to prevention (7) [7] (8) [8]. Does this mean that everyone with Graves’ Disease should start taking iodine? Not necessarily, as in other articles and posts I’ve discussed the importance of testing the iodine levels first, and then if someone is deficient I recommend for them to begin by taking small doses of iodine in order to correct this deficiency.
4. Be cautious about getting regular mammograms.
This is yet another controversial subject, and I spoke about this in a post entitled “Is Getting Regular Mammograms Really Safe? [9]“. I’m not suggesting that mammograms haven’t saved lives on some occasions. Whenever I or someone else talks about the risks of getting annual mammograms, there will be comments from women who had breast cancer and/or know someone else who had breast cancer which was detected by getting regular mammograms. Evidence suggests that such a screening has only a small effect on the rate of death from breast cancer (9) [10]. Of course even a small effect is a good thing, right? Well, the problem is that getting mammograms exposes women to radiation, and so there is also a risk that getting regular mammograms can actually cause the development of breast cancer. As a result, one might want to consider an alternative type of screening such as thermography.
One has to keep in mind that even with these screening techniques, breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer of women in North America, and remains the second leading cause of cancer induced death (10) [11]. As a result, while there can be benefits to screening methods such as thermography and mammograms, one wants to do everything they can to prevent the development of breast cancer by eating well, making sure they’re iodine sufficient, and to have a good balance between the hormones estrogen and progesterone. Although genetics play a role in the development of breast cancer, lifestyle and environmental factors are even greater factors.
In summary, those people with Graves’ Disease have an increased risk of breast cancer, and as a result they need to take the proper precautions to help prevent the development of this condition. While some women rely on regular mammograms to help detect early stages of breast cancer, doing this alone isn’t enough, and might actually cause more harm than good due to the radiation associated with this type of screening. Besides eating well and minimizing one’s exposure to toxins, other things women need to do in order to help prevent the development of breast cancer include having sufficient levels of vitamin D and iodine, and making sure the hormones estrogen and progesterone are in balance.