The Hormonal Link to Breast Cancer: The Estrogen Matrix

Author(s):  Zava David T

Issue:  Jul/Aug 2002 - Compounding for BHRT and Legal and Regulatory Issues
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Abstract:  Nearly every risk factor for breast cancer is linked either directly or indirectly to an increase in the level of unopposed estrogen or estrogen receptor activity. 1-4 The estrogen matrix diagram (Figure 1) shows that many of those risk factors and hormonal imbalances lead to excessive exposure of the breast tissue to estrogens in the absence of progesterone. The term “unopposed estrogens” refers to estrogens not balanced by adequate progesterone, which is the body’s natural antiestrogen.

In this article, the estrogen matrix is presented in the following six sections related to biochemical and hormonal imbalances that increase the burden of unopposed estrogens in breast tissue, which in turn leads to increased breast cancer risks (Fig.1, going counterclockwise).
- Obesity and insulin resistance
- Conventional hormone replacement therapy (HRT)
- Pollutants
- Estrogen dominance syndrome
- Stress and adrenal dysfunction
- Immune system dysfunction

Related Keywords: Breast cancer, and estrogen, Estrogen, and breast cancer

Related Categories: CANCER AND AIDS, HRT

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