Fibrocystic Breast Disease

Some women experience lumps and pain in the breasts. Although this condition may be constant, it is often cyclical and worsens prior to the onset of menstruation. For years this condition was called fibrocystic breast disease. However, the usefulness of this diagnosis is questionable since the term is often used as a catch-all for a variety of breast conditions. Fibrocystic breast disease, mammary dysplasia, cystic mastalgia, and benign breast disease are a few of the terms used to describe this disorder.

In clinical terms, fibrocysts are fluid-filled sacs surrounded by fibrous tissue. Many women with discomfort and symptoms are not told the type of cyst or mass they have, because it is not cancer.

Fibrocystic breast disease has been linked to an increased risk for developing breast cancer, a disease that occurs in one out of every eleven women in the United States. However, researchers now believe that 70% of the women with fibrocystic breast disease should not be concerned about an increased cancer risk. the remaining 30% of these women have double the risk. A small percentage of women (4%) have atypical breast lesions with an abnormal structure that looks like cancer. Women who have atypical lesions or who have a family history of breast cancer have 11 times the risk of developing breast cancer as women with neither of these risk factors.

Fibrocystic breast disease includes a variety of disorders, only a few of which increase a woman's risk for developing cancer. Any mass in the breast that is not cancerous is called a benign breast lump.

Whether or not fibrocystic breasts are classified as "diseased" is only one concern for women who deal with the associated lumps and pain. The problem with the bumpiness is that it makes it more difficult to detect a cancerous lump. The problem with the associated discomfort is that the breasts can be tender and any type of pressure is painful.

Until recently, treatment for mild fibrocystic breasts did not exist. Surgery was reserved fro severe cases. Prevention and treatment suggestions now are available to help reduce the incidence and severity of this disorder. Dietary suggestions include a decrease in methylxanthines and dietary fat and an increase in vitamin E.

Methylxanthines : The elimination of methylxanthines from the diet might treat fibrocystic breast disease. Methylxanthines include caffeine in coffee, tea, some soft drinks, and some drugs; theobromine in chocolate, tea, and some soft drinks; and theophylline in tea.

Coffee consumption is often moderate to high in the diets of women with fibrocystic breast disease. when coffee and other foods or drugs that contain methylxanthines are eliminated from the diet breast lumps and pain often are reduced or eliminated within 6 months.

Other lifestyle factors influence the effectiveness of a methylxanthine-free diet in reducing fibrocystic breast disease. For example, women who smoke do not show any progress until they quit smoking and follow a methylxanthine-restricted diet.

Preliminary evidence shows that the elimination of all products containing methylxanthines for six to eight weeks might be an effective treatment for fibrocystic breast disease. If the lumps and pain do not disappear, a physician should be consulted and a biopsy should be done to determine if the lumps are malignant (cancerous) or benign (non-cancerous).

It is thought that benign breast lumps are the result of an accumulation of body chemicals. Under normal conditions, these chemicals do not accumulate because an enzyme deactivates them. Methylxanthines inhibit the action of this enzyme. In an analysis of the composition of benign breast lumps, levels of these chemicals are 50% higher than in normal breast tissue; malignant breast tissues have higher levels.

The caffeine/methylxanthine -fibrocystic breast disease link is controversial. However, research continues to substantiate the preliminary findings and women continue to report a reduction in symptoms.

Any woman with breast lumps and pain can eliminate these foods. Giving up caffeine and its associated substances is not harmful to health and might be beneficial.

Vitamin E : An adequate intake of vitamin E might relieve symptoms and normalize abnormal hormonal patterns observed in some women with fibrocystic breast disease.

Vitamin E is found in vegetable oils and is abundant in safflower oil. Substantial amounts of vitamin E are lost in the heat processing and bleaching of commercial vegetable oils. Cold pressed vegetable oils might contain more of the vitamin. Other dietary sources of vitamin E include nuts, seeds, wheat germ oil, whole grain breads and cereals, and dark green leafy vegetables.

Dietary Fat : A reduction in dietary fat intake might prevent or treat this condition. When dietary fat is reduced to 20% of the total calories, in contrast to the typical 42%, breast pain decreases and blood levels of the female hormones estrogen and prolactin decline. A decline in these hormones is associated with a reduced risk for cancer.

 ( July 29 )