Dr Fine Ketogenic Diet and Cancer
When we heard about Dr. Susan Love's breast cancer initiative, the Love/Avon Army of Women, we knew right away that we had to get involved. Here's why: Love told us that not enough research is being done on real women (as opposed to on animals or in lab settings) to study what causes breast cancer, which is the only way we'll be able to prevent it in the first place.
How come? One big reason is that scientists just can't find women to participate in their studies—and that's what Love hopes to change by launching this initiative. By joining the Army of Women, you agree to receive e-mails from researchers about new studies, and if you're a good fit and want to participate, you can. If not, you're not obligated to do anything. (Sign up now!)
Want to learn more about this amazing initiative? So did we—read on to find out what Love told us.
Q: What's one thing you'd like to know about breast cancer that you currently don't?
A: I want to know what causes breast cancer in young women. In most non-Westernized countries breast cancer is a premenopausal disease, while in Western countries it affects more postmenopausal women. There may be two different causes, with factors such as hormone replacement therapy being important for older women and something else—a virus, perhaps?—for premenopausal women.
Q: What about things like obesity, inactivity, and alcohol consumption? We've all heard these can increase breast cancer risk.
A: There is a difference between things that are associated with a higher risk of breast cancer, such as obesity after menopause and alcohol, and what actually causes cancer. It is likely that these are not the cause but either promote it or are in some way linked with it. For example, cervical cancer is caused by the human papillomavirus, but it is associated with sexual activity because that's how the virus is transmitted. Having sex doesn't cause cervical cancer if your partner doesn't carry HPV.
Q: What about improvements in early detection?
A: We are reevaluating the whole concept of early detection, as we realize there are many different kinds of breast cancer—and they grow at very different rates. What we need is not to find cancers that already exist but, rather, to find cells that are just thinking of becoming breast cancer someday. Researchers are currently investigating a test that looks at a drop or two of breast fluid for clues as to who may be at risk.
Q: Will there ever be a breast cancer vaccine?
A: It certainly is possible that breast cancer is caused by a virus, and if that were true, we could have a vaccine. But we need to look for the source—what causes breast cancer—first.
Q: Why aren't researchers better able to study the causes now?
A: It's easier to study breast cancer in rats and mice than in women. But the problem is, these animals don't get breast cancer on their own! In fact, humans are among the only animals that get breast cancer naturally. If we don't study actual women, we will never figure it out.
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Q: What inspired you to create the Army of Women?
A: I was frustrated that there was not enough research into the cause of breast cancer and how to prevent it. Consider cancer of the cervix—we've made significant progress, developing a vaccine within 3 years that can prevent cervical cancer, not just catch it early. We should be able to do that for breast cancer.
Scientists kept telling me that they did not know how to find women and that women would never participate. But I knew women would be willing to join studies—and that I could find them. So with a grant from the Avon Foundation for Women, I launched the Love/Avon Army of Women.
Q: Why should Prevention readers join the Army of Women?
A: If we are going to figure out this disease, we need all women to participate. Otherwise, the research won't apply to all women! We need to compare women who have had breast cancer with healthy women who have not. We need to figure out why some ethnic groups have more aggressive cancer and some do not. We need to have enough women to investigate the environmental risks for breast cancer.
We can do it—but only if we get everyone to join us!
Q: Is there anyone who can't join?
A: Anyone over 18 can join our Army of Women. It doesn't matter if you have other diseases or have had cancer. We need to see how all these things fit together in the real world. All you need is Internet access and an e-mail address.
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Q: What are typical studies like? Will they be invasive or time-consuming?
A: When you join the Army of Women, you're not signing up for a specific study—you're signing up to receive e-mails from researchers about studies that need women. We send out the information, and if you fit the criteria and want to do it, you let us know.
Some studies may involve only filling out a questionnaire, while others may need blood, urine, or even a biopsy of the breast. It's like joining a dating Web site—you don't have to go out with everyone who contacts you. You only participate in studies that you are interested in.
Q: How long do you think it will take to find a cure or a way to prevent cancer?
A: I don't know when we will have a cure for everyone, but certainly we have many drugs that can keep cancer cells under control. By figuring out exactly the type of breast cancer a woman has—at a cellular level—we can better target the treatment to her case. Still, the treatments are not without side effects. Prevention would be better.
Q: What worries you most about breast cancer?
A: I worry that we will keep adding treatments for breast cancer and will never focus on finding the cause and preventing it. The National Cancer Institute just announced that they are spending their stimulus money on better treatments and never mentioned prevention research. I worry that we will pass breast cancer on to another generation without having stepped up to the plate to be the generation that stopped it. But I am optimistic that if I can recruit 1 million women to be part of finding the answers, we will end breast cancer once and for all.
Be 1 in a million! Sign up for the Army of Women now!
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Dr Fine Ketogenic Diet and Cancer
Source: https://www.prevention.com/health/a20462558/breast-cancer-and-dr-susan-love/