Intermittent fasting (IF) has made some serious headlines lately in the diet world especially among many fitness gurus! It is not a new concept it has been used for centuries in different religions. IF has been proven to not only help keep the waist small but can also have pronounced effects on certain health conditions, such as, diabetes, high cholesterol, neurodegenerative disorders and can even lower your risk of cancer. But did you know it can also help in reducing the risk of recurrent breast cancer?
What are the facts behind breast cancer?
Currently, about 1 in 8 women will develop breast cancer over the course of their lifetime. In 2021, an estimate of 281,550 new cases were expected to be diagnosed in women in the United States while 2,650 new cases were expected to be diagnosed in men. For women, breast cancer death rates are higher than any other cancer. Now-a-days there are many treatment options for breast cancer but there is always a chance of recurrence. However, there is staggering evidence that fasting can help in reducing this risk.
Although genetic factors account for some of the cancer cases (5-10%), lifestyle factors account for the majority of them (90-95%). These factors include cigarette smoking, diet (fried foods, red meat), alcohol, sun exposure, environmental pollutants, infections, stress, and physical inactivity. Breast cancer is one of many cancers that are sensitive to obesity meaning that fat tissue can promote cancer cell growth. This is because there are higher than normal amounts of neurochemicals and hormones like insulin growth factor-1 (IGF-1), insulin, leptin, and sex hormones (particularly estrogen) in these tissues.
What exactly is IF?
The basis behind IF is simply putting your body in a fasted state by not eating for a long period of time and then having an “eating window” or a specific time frame you would actually consume your meals. There are a variety of versions of IF. The most common is to be in a fasted state for 16 hours and then eat for 8 hours per day (16:8). This usually incorporates your sleeping time into your fasted state as well. Other versions may have you incorporate a 24 hour fast usually once a week. You can also choose one where you might fast for most of the day and eat one meal a day. Fasting allows your body to utilize the untap energy that is stored in your fat cells which leads to overall fat loss.
What’s the deal behind IF for breast cancer?
The mechanism behind fasting in the context of breast cancer is to lower certain metabolic hormones such as insulin, which is a huge factor in cancer cell growth, and will further slow the growth of breast cancer tumors. A study showed that 2,413 women who were diagnosed with early stage breast cancer either fasted for more than 13 hours or less than 13 hours per night. The women who fasted for less than 13 hours per night were associated with a 36% higher risk of breast cancer recurrence compared to those fasting more than 13 hours per night. Though this study was only done on women who had early-stage breast cancer and not the later stages and we do not know what their diet consisted of during their eating window, it can be concluded that a prolonged fasting time may be a simple way for reducing breast cancer recurrence.
*While fasting does have a variety of health benefits, it is still good to talk to your doctor before starting any kind of new diet plan to see if it is the best option for you! *
Sometimes the best treatments are ones that we can produce ourselves! Of course, more studies will need to be done to see if fasting can help shrink the cancer cells. But it is amazing being able to investigate alternative methods to treat cancer and other chronic conditions without the use of medications!
References:
- U.S. Breast Cancer Statistics. Breastcancer.org. (2021, February 4). Retrieved January 8, 2022, from https://www.breastcancer.org/symptoms/understand_bc/statistics
- Anand, P., Kunnumakkara, A. B., Sundaram, C., Harikumar, K. B., Tharakan, S. T., Lai, O. S., Sung, B., & Aggarwal, B. B. (2008). Cancer is a preventable disease that requires major lifestyle changes. Pharmaceutical research, 25(9), 2097–2116. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11095-008-9661-9
- Bill Piersol Friday, O. 9. (2020, October 9). Intermittent fasting and breast cancer: What you need to know. Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Retrieved January 8, 2022, from https://www.mskcc.org/news/intermittent-fasting-and-breast-cancer-what-you-need-know
- Marinac, C. R., Nelson, S. H., Breen, C. I., Hartman, S. J., Natarajan, L., Pierce, J. P., Flatt, S. W., Sears, D. D., & Patterson, R. E. (2016). Prolonged Nightly Fasting and Breast Cancer Prognosis. JAMA oncology, 2(8), 1049–1055. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamaoncol.2016.0164
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