Friday, April 25, 2008

Two Very Preventable Yet Major Causes of Breast Cancer

Breast cancer, among other cancers, is affecting more women today than ever before. While the medical industry is providing few answers as to how to prevent the deadly disease, there are a few things that you should know about two of the major causes of breast cancer today.

Cancer Causing Fats

There is an ever-growing assortment of cancer-causing foods that are sold in grocery stores across the nation, but even if you are shopping at a natural health food store, you could be preparing cancer causing foods for your family on a regular basis. Reading labels can help you to avoid chemically processed foods, as well as food additives and preservatives, but your decisions in the meat department may be the most dangerous stop you'll make on your trip to the local grocer.

Okay, so we all know that there are dangers associated with eating red meat, but preparation is a key factor in just how dangerous the meat you prepare for your family really is. High fat and protein contents combined with high temperatures can be a deadly combination, and the result is a cancer-causing substance known as benzopyrene.

Benzopyrene is one of the main cancer-causing substances in cigarette smoke, and yet it is produced in incredibly high concentrations in char-broiled beef. The amount of benzopyrene that is produced by flame-broiling a one-pound steak is the equivalent of smoking 300 cigarettes! Yet we are taught at a very early age (typically through television advertising) to avoid smoking and eat red meat several times a week to meet your dietary requirements of protein and iron.

Dangerous Drinking Water

Recently in the news there have been several reports of a dangerous substance leaking out of the plastic bottles and into the water that people commonly bring to work or school. Some reports claim that the toxic chemicals leak out of the plastic when the bottles are refrigerated or frozen. Other reports state that the toxins drip out when the bottles are exposed to heat as well, and points to the dangers of leaving your water bottle in the car during the heat of the day. This is not new news, as the dangerous toxins that seep out of plastics are present in nearly all plastic dishes and containers, and therefore should never be used in microwave cooking or freezing leftovers. Use a glass bottle or container whenever possible - for storage, cooking, food preparation, beverages, and reheating.

2 comments:

  1. Red meat and plastic bottles are a MAJOR cause of breast cancer? I think not......being female and getting older are the major causes of breast cancer.

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  2. I certainly didn't go into as much detail as I could have on the subject, but it's not even just the red mead - it's the charbroiled process, a chemical process that takes place that produces the substance benzopyrene - which in itself is considered "highly carcinogenic" and particularly affecting the breast tissue, as well as the colon.

    You can find more information on the
    cancer causing substance benzopyrene here.


    This site calls the substance a "potent mutagen and carcinogen".

    The plastic danger is not limited to just water bottles, and I should have gone into more detail about this as well, but the chemicals responsible for hormone disrupting chemicals. This would be true of even the plastic lining of cans, through the heating of plastics in the microwave, and even drinking hot liquids from plastic containers. Here is a link to a more detailed list of the results of scientific studies and the researchers who performed the studies.

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