Mothers who eat foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids during pregnancy and while nursing may reduce the risk of breast cancer in their daughters by as much as 40 percent, a new study of mice found. The researchers also found that feeding female offspring a diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids after weaning reduced their risk of breast cancer by 40 percent. And consuming omega-3 fatty acids through foods at any point in life can reduce the rate for breast cancer in female offspring significantly, said lead researcher W. Elaine Hardman, an assistant professor at Louisiana State University’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center.
However, eating omega-6 fats, which are commonly found in Western diets, could increase female offsprings’ risk of breast cancer. Both omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids are essential for good health. But in Western diets, the amount of omega-6 fatty acids is much greater than omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-6 acids are found in meat, eggs, poultry, cereals, breads, baked goods, most vegetable oils and margarine, the researchers said. Sources of omega-3 fatty acids are found in flaxseed and canola oils, seeds and nuts, the highest found in hemp and flax seeds. “In mice genetically programmed to develop breast cancer, we found that if we fed omega-3 fatty acids to the mice, we could prevent them from developing cancer,” Hardman said.
Hardman’s team compared the rates for breast cancer in the offspring depending upon how much omega-6 fatty acids or omega-3 fatty acids they and their mothers consumed. All the mouse pups exposed only to omega-6 fatty acids — in the uterus, while nursing and after weaning — developed mammary gland tumors by six months after birth. However, less than 60 percent of the female offspring with diets rich in omega-3 fatty acids either in the uterus or after weaning developed mammary tumors by eight months. Hartman speculated that because omega-3 fatty acids reduce the amount of estrogen, which is important in mammary gland development, this helps reduce cancer risk. “Somehow changes are going on in the breast tissue of the mice before they’re born that makes a difference in their risk for developing breast cancer later on,” she said. “Does this prove the same is true in humans? By itself, no. But in the context of all we know about dietary fats, hormones and health outcomes in people, it is very suggestive,” said Dr. David L. Katz, associate clinical professor of public health at Yale University School of Medicine. Katz noted that cancer typically develops slowly, often over decades. So, tracing the root causes, or tracking down all the clues to prevention, can be a challenge. “In this case, mice are providing an important clue, and teaching a lesson I believe we should heed,” he said.
-Presentation, American Association for Cancer Research annual meeting, Anaheim, Calif.
Dr. Keith & Laurie Nemec Comments on “What You Do Affects The Future Of Your Unborn Children”
This fascinating study shows how what you do as a parent affects the future of your unborn child on the positive side. Your journey into total health of body, mind and spirit is first and foremost a personal journey of transformation into God’s image, and along the way as you are transformed, the frequency you resonate with will be the light that shines to all those around you (including your children) to entrain them to a higher level. This applies spiritually, mentally and with this study can also be seen physically by reducing the risk of breast cancer by up to 40%. In practice we have also seen what parents do affects the future of their children at any age. Not only are you called by God to be a good steward of your children and to train them up in the ways of God but also to be the example that they would naturally want to model. When you look at your children what you are looking at is a reflection of yourself. If you like what you see then you have been doing a great job of not only raising and training but also modeling what you desire them to be.
Do not forget the most important part of parenting is to be the example (and this knows no age limit).
The role model, the one your children look up to and want to be like should be YOU! This is a big task but when you sit at the feet of God and let His Spirit teach you, guide you and empower you then all things become possible. Your children’s success in life are dependant upon how you raise them (in love or in law) and how you demonstrate those principles in your own life. This training and being the example to your children never stops no matter how old you or your children become. Let us share a story. One of our patients had a broken relationship with her daughter ten years ago and the two had not spoken since. Our patient went through our four month health program to transform herself in body, mind and spirit. While she was on the health program she attended a family picnic that she did not know her daughter was going to attend but expectedly showed up. The first words spoken out of her daughters mouth to her in ten years were these: “Mom I don’t know what you are doing for yourself but keep doing it”. Their relationship was restored and healed not by the mother wanting the daughter to change but by the mother changing herself first. Parents it is never to late to change yourself and in doing so you will change your children as our patient so beautifully experienced.
