Does drinking wine or eating grapes help prevent breast cancer?

In 2012, Huffington Post ran an article which posed the question "Can red wine reduce your risk for breast cancer?"

Citing a small study published in the Journal of Women's Health, Red Versus White Wine as a Nutritional Aromatase Inhibitor in Premenopausal Women: A Pilot Study, the article claimed that "the skins and seeds of red grapes slightly lowered estrogen levels while elevating testosterone in premenopausal women" and this might prevent breast cancer because the diseases feeds on estrogen.

Five years later, a report by The Washing Post made the opposite claim in the article "Just one alcoholic drink a day increases risk of breast cancer, study says"...but this is muddled by another report published in 2018 by Forbes, which claims that while heavy drinking  "no doubt" causes cancer or increases the risk of getting it, "the relationship between cancer and light drinking is less clear, particularly with red wine."

The reason? Antioxidants allegedly found in the grape skin.

GMA News Online during a breast cancer media round table hosted by AstraZeneca clarified with Dr. Ma. Luisa Abesamis-Tiambeng, Medical Oncology Consultant at the Cardinal Santos Medical Center, if wine or broccoli or any type of "superfood" can help reduce the risk of getting breast cancer.

"There's no specific food group that will help prevent cancer, breast cancer in particular. What is recommended by the American Cancer Society is that we take at least five servings of fruits and vegetables per day — any fruit, any vegetable. This is a general recommendation across all types of cancer," Abesamis-Tiambeng said.

She said that although there are a lot of articles online discussing food groups and vitamins that supposedly prevent breast cancer, "None of these have been categorically recommended based on randomized, well-designed clinical trials."

In addition to this, she stressed that there aren't available studies that prove that a certain diet or physical activity / exercise can reduce cancer risks. "Different types of prevention applies to different risks that may be individualized according to the patient," she said.

Consuming five servings of fruits and vegetables is still the best way to stay healthy and Abesamis-Tiambeng said that this must be real fruits and vegetables, "not in capsules, not in powder form, or in juices."

Tiambeng-Abesamis also busted the myth that injuries to the breast cause cancer.

Some patients may come to the clinic or hospital claiming that they felt a lump after their breast slammed against something or was hit by an object. However, Tiambeng-Abesamis said that this is a "red herring" and explained, "Trauma called attention to the breast, that's why you felt the lump, but the lump was already there."

Medical Oncology Consultant at St. Luke's Medical Center  Dr. Denky Dela Rosa in the same event told the press that unfortunately, simply being female puts someone at risk of getting breast cancer as it feeds on the primary female hormone estrogen.

According to AstraZeneca's datam one in every 13 Filipino women is expected to develop breast cancer in her lifetime. Doctors recommend performing a self-check for lumps and the following symptoms:

• Breast pain
• Change in breast size or shape
• Dimpling, flaking or thickening of breast skin
• If the breast is not completely round but pulls in at some point, this is a sign of dimpling
• Nipple inversion, rash or discharge
• Swelling of upper arm or armpit
• It's also advisable to visit a health center or hospital if possible for a clinical breast examination and a mammogram. The earlier the cancer is detected, the better the chances of remission.

Options for financial aid are available (Breast Cancer Medicines Access Program, Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, and PhilHealth), but advocates are pushing for the National Cancer Bill for better care for patients. — GMA News