Ratio of Good to Bad Estrogens Influences Your Breast Cancer Risk
Women are inexorably bound to the hormone Estrogen and the ups and downs that it may bring, but all estrogen is NOT the same. In terms of breast cancer risk, there are actually TWO relevant estrogens. One can INCREASE breast cancer risk; the other can DECREASE it- and the ratio of the two is Vital for breast health.
While women have many different estrogens in their body, the estrogen compounds called 2-hydroxyestrone and 16-alpha-hydroxyestrone are by far the most important for breast health. 2-hydroxyestrone is considered ‘The Good Estrogen’ because its presence doesn’t seem to increase breast cancer risks, and MAY even be protective against it. However, 16-alpha-hydroxyestrone is considered ‘The Bad Estrogen’ because its presence seems to INCREASE risk and has even been called a cancer CAUSING agent! All women have both estrogens, but each woman has a different RATIO, and this ratio is more important to health than the total AMOUNTS of the estrogens.
“In every experimental model in which 2-hydroxylation was increased, protection against tumors was achieved. Correspondingly, when 2-hydroxylation was decreased, an increase in cancer risk was observed.” ‘2-hydroxyestrone: the ‘good’ estrogen’
Researchers know this because simple urinary testing of these estrogen metabolites consistently show that women with breast cancer have a Lower Ratio of good to bad estrogen than women who did not. But this ratio extends beyond breast cancer, with a higher ratio shown to also be protective against ALL estrogen sensitive cancers- such as cervical and endometrial cancer. Even more interesting is that this test has been used in studies to determine if Lifestyle Changes can help to reduce the risk. Women with a low 2/16 ratio, meaning they had a high risk, who instituted lifestyle changes were able to Favorably Increase their ratio and reduce their risk. This has FAR-REACHING implications to women everywhere who could be measurably reducing their risk of breast cancer by exercising, eating more targeted estrogen binding foods and taking specific food-based supplements. In separate studies, each of these strategies brought the 2/16 ratio into a more favorable balance, showing that diet and exercise absolutely are able to modify risk in certain women.
Ratio of Good to Bad Estrogens Influences Your Breast Cancer Risk
