Natural Compound Prevents Breast Cancer Gene (BRCA1) Malignancy…. It’s Not IN The Genes So Much As WHAT You Expose Them To
There is so much fear and misinformation surrounding the so-called ‘Breast Cancer Associated’
genes, BRCA1 and BRCA2, that it should help to dispel some prevailing
myths by looking at the crucial role that epigenetic factors play in
their expression. Literally ‘above’ (epi) or ‘beyond’ the control of the
genes, these factors include environmental chemical exposures,
nutrition and stress, which profoundly affect cancer risk within us all, regardless of what variant (‘mutated’ or ‘wild’)* that we happen to carry within our genomes.
In 2012, a very important study was published in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry that looked at the role a natural compound called resveratrol may play in preventing the inactivation of the BRCA-1 gene.
BRCA-1 is known as a “caretaker” gene
because it is responsible for healing up double-strand breaks within our
DNA. When the BRCA-1 gene is rendered dysfunctional or becomes
inactivated, either through a congenital/germline inheritance of DNA
defects (‘mutation’) or through chemical exposures, the result is the same:
harm to the DNA repair mechanisms within the affected cells
(particularly breast and ovary; possibly testicular), hence increasing
the risk of cancer.
Ironically, while the prevalence of a
“bad” inherited BRCA1 variation is actually quite low relative to the
general population (a 2003 study found only 6.6% of breast cancer
patients even have either a BRCA1 and BRCA2 germline mutation [1] ),
everyone’s BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes are susceptible to damage from
environmental chemical exposures, most particularly xenobiotic
(non-natural) chemicals and radiation. This means that instead of
looking to a set of “bad” genes as the primary cause of cancer, we
should be looking to avoid exposing both our “bad” and “good” genes
alike to preventable chemical exposures, as well as avoiding nutrient
deficiencies and/or incompatibilities, which also play a vital role in enabling us to express or silence cancer-associated genes.
[For more on why genes don't "cause" disease see: The Great DNA Data Deficit on GreenMedInfo]
Natural Compound Prevents Breast Cancer Gene (BRCA1) Malignancy
The aforementioned resveratrol study is titled “BRCA-1
promoter hypermethylation and silencing induced by the aromatic
hydrocarbon receptor-ligand TCDD are prevented by resveratrol in MCF-7
Cells.”
Quite a mouthful.
Essentially, the BRCA-1 promoter is the
gene sequence within the BRCA1 gene that drives the production of the
protein that enables our cells to repair DNA damage, and when “silenced”
(ie. hypermethylated) via the receptor for aromatic hydrocarbons (which
are primarily xenobiotic petrochemical compounds), it leads to
chromosomal damage within those cells. This study looked at the role of
resveratrol, a natural compound found in grapes, wine, chocolate, and
peanuts, in preventing these chemically-induced changes in gene
methylation, also known as ‘gene silencing.’
According to the study:
“The aberrant hypermethylation of tumor suppressor genes has been recognized as a predisposing event in breast carcinogenesis [1]. For example, BRCA-1 promoter hypermethylation has been linked to loss or silencing of BRCA-1 expression in sporadic breast tumors [2–7] and the development of high-grade breast carcinomas [8–10].Higher incidence (30%–90%) of BRCA-1 hypermethylation has been reported in infiltrating tumors [2,10–12], suggesting that epigenetic repression of BRCA-1 may accompany the transition to more invasive phenotypes. Moreover, BRCA-1 promoter methylation was found to be positively associated with increased mortality among women with breast cancer [13].
The researchers went on to test
resveratrol’s ability to prevent BRCA-promoter inactivation caused by
the persistent environmental pollutant 2,3,7,8
tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), which has been linked to birth
defects, cancer, immune suppression, liver damage and endocrine
disruption, and has been found distributed throughout the global food
supply, and even in breast milk.
Resveratrol was found to prevent
TCDD-induced suppression of BRCA-1 expression. They discovered that
resveratrol was capable of suppressed the silencing (hypermethylation)
of the BRCA-1 promoter, revealing one of several possible mechanisms for
its well-known anti-cancer properties, including 19 studies on GreenMedInfo.com alone on its anti-breast cancer potential.[2]
Resveratrol
is only one of a wide range of natural, food-derived compounds which
possess the ability to bind and interact as ligands with the aromatic
hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) within the cells of our body. Curcumin, the
primary polyphenol in the spice turmeric, for instance, has been found
to induce programmed cell death in triple negative breast cancer cells, in part through modulating BRCA1 protein expression and levels within the cytoplasm of normal and cancerous cells.
The researchers concluded “The fact that many food constituents possess
ligand properties towards the AhR [57,58] may offer new avenues for the
development of prevention strategies for the prevention of BRCA-1
silencing in sporadic breast tumors.”
This is a fancy way of saying that we
can prevent chemically-induced cancers through including and perhaps
increasing the level of phytoactive, chemopreventive compounds within
our diet; and of course, reducing and if possible eliminating chemical
exposures that ‘knock out’ the BRCA1/BRCA2 gene function in way that
leads to cancer.
This, and not some gene-based future
drug therapy, is where researchers and medical practitioners should be
‘racing’ for their long sought-after solution. Remove the cause. Prevent
and cure the disease.
For a list of 249 other natural substances that have experimentally confirmed anti-breast cancer activity visit GreenMedInfo’s Breast Cancer research page, as well as GreenMedInfo’s Health Guide: Breast Cancer.
Resources:
[1] Silvia de Sanjosé, Mélanie Léoné,
Victoria Bérez, Angel Izquierdo, Rebeca Font, Joan M Brunet, Thierry
Louat, Loreto Vilardell, Joan Borras, Pau Viladiu, F Xavier Bosch,
Gilbert M Lenoir, Olga M Sinilnikova. Prevalence of BRCA1 and BRCA2 germline mutations in young breast cancer patients: a population-based study. Int J Cancer. 2003 Sep 10 ;106(4):588-93. PMID: 12845657
[2] GreenMedInfo.com, Reseveratrol’s Anti-Breast Cancer Properties (19 abstracts)
*We looked at the theoretical problems associated with BRCA1/BRCA2-mediated disease causation in the article: Did Angelina Jolie Make A Mistake By Acting On the Gene Theory of Breast Cancer?
Further articles by Sayer Ji
- Research: Curcumin Is A Triple Negative Breast Cancer Killer
- USDA Organic Infant Formula Contains Pesticide Labeled As A “Nutrient”
- Glyphosate (Roundup) Carcinogenic In the PARTS PER TRILLION Range
- Chemical Deception: Multiple Forms of Hormone-Disrupting Bisphenol in U.S. Food Supply
- Top Brand of Children’s Vitamins Contains Aspartame, GMOs & Other Hazardous Chemicals
- How to Clean Your Arteries With One Simple Fruit
- 7 Ways to Prevent and Even Reverse Heart Disease with Nutrition
- Is This Fruit Extract 10,000 Times Better Than Chemotherapy?
- MCT Fats Found In Coconut Oil Boost Brain Function In Only One Dose
- 13 Evidence-Based Medicinal Properties of Coconut Oil
About the author:
Sayer Ji is the founder and director of www.GreenMedInfo.com and an advisory board member at the National Health Federation, an international nonprofit, consumer-education, health-freedom organization.
Sayer Ji is the founder and director of www.GreenMedInfo.com and an advisory board member at the National Health Federation, an international nonprofit, consumer-education, health-freedom organization.
He co-authored the book Cancer Killers: The Cause Is The Cure, and is currently co-authoring another book with Tania Melkonian entitled EATomology: An Edible Philosophy of Food.
Check out Sayer Ji’s new collaborative project EATomology.
