In Brief
You cannot reduce cancer risk to zero by any strategy, including nutritional choice.
The article contains several major errors.
- The article is wrong about BRCA1 gene expression
- The article is wrong about risk factors
- The article is wrong to say everyone has micro-tumors
- The article is wrong to suggest cancer causing chemicals and radiation can be avoided
BRCA1 gene and cancer
The phrase "can easily follow a dietary and lifestyle plan that suppresses BRCA1 gene expression." is inconsistent with the current understanding of the medical condition under discussion.
The phrase suggests that you need to suppress BRCA1 gene expression to avoid cancer.
In search of the tumour-suppressor functions of BRCA1 and BRCA2 says that the opposite is the case. The medical condition is one where the tumour-suppressor genes BRCA1 and BRCA2 are NOT being expressed.
Hereditary breast and ovarian cancer syndromes can be caused by loss-of-function germline mutations in one of two tumour-suppressor genes, BRCA1 and BRCA2
Negative Regulation of BRCA1 Gene Expression by HMGA1 Proteins Accounts for the Reduced BRCA1 Protein Levels in Sporadic Breast Carcinoma also says the opposite of the quotation in the question.
A drastic reduction in BRCA1 gene expression is a characteristic feature of aggressive sporadic breast carcinoma.
If this is the case, the article is wrong. The last thing anyone should do is suppress BRCA1 gene expression.
"Percent risk" or "avoidable"
The article alleges that breast cancer is not a "percent risk", that it is avoidable and that doctors lie when discussing risks with patients.
This is not the case.
According to Breast Cancer Campaign
Anything that increases a person’s chances of developing a disease is called a risk factor. Having many risk factors does not mean you will develop breast cancer, whilst having fewer risk factors will not definitely prevent the disease.
Nutrition and Cancer
The link between diet and cancer is complex and difficult to unravel. This is because our diet is made up of lots of different foods and nutrients. Most of these affect our risk of cancer, often in combination with one another. The genes you inherit also affect the way diet influences your cancer risk.
The advise from cancer research organisations is fairly simple and straightforward.
- Try to get plenty of fruit and vegetables in your diet.
- Eat smaller and fewer portions of red and processed meat.
- Try not to eat too many salt-preserved or high-salt foods.
- Boost the fibre in your diet by choosing wholegrain varieties of starchy foods wherever possible
- Try not to eat too many fatty foods.
- Try eating more fish instead of red or processed meat.
(summarised from Diet and Cancer - Cancer Research UK)
Microtumors
The article suggests we all have microtumors.
We don't know much about micro-tumors in people without cancer symptoms. They are difficult to detect. What we do know suggests they are the initial stages of cancer.
According to Distinct Contributions of Angiogenesis and Vascular Co-option during
the Initiation of Primary Microtumors and Micrometastases
Primary microtumors and micrometastases are the initial stages of primary tumor and distal metastases, respectively.
Tumor-induced angiogenesis and tumor cell vessel interactions are
one of the most important events during these stages.
the smallest microtumors and
micrometastatic clones are very difficult to detect in cancer patients and traditional animal
models [1,2]. Most of our understanding of the initial formation of microtumors is deduced
from static images captured from late stage tumors，
Avoidance of cancer causing chemicals and radiation
The article suggests you can prevent cancer by (among other things) avoiding cancer causing chemicals and radiation. The tone of the article suggests you can totally prevent cancer thus.
Sunlight causes skin cancers. Avoiding sunlight is not a sensible option. We also need sunlight for Vitamin D production and for other positive health reasons.
Our planet is naturally radioactive, radiation cannot be totally avoided.
Our bodies and everything we eat, drink and breathe is composed of chemicals. It is not currently possible to completely avoid all chemicals that have been linked with increased risk of cancer. For example read the nutritional advice (referred to above) about the chemical sodium-chloride, an essential part of our diet.
