Sea vegetables such as nori, dulse and kelp contain nutrients that may benefit breast cancer patients, including carotenoids, magnesium and iodine. Sea vegetables also contain lignans, compounds that have demonstrated a protective effect against breast cancer, according to Natalie Ledesma, M.S., R.D. of the UCSF Comprehensive Cancer Center. Sea vegetables that grow in polluted waters absorb heavy metals such as mercury and cadmium, so certified organic sea vegetables are the safest choice.
Carotenoids
Sea vegetables are a good source of vitamin A pro carotenoids such as beta carotene, alpha carotene and lutein/zeaxanthin. These nutrients have shown some promise in reducing the risk of breast cancer onset in premenopausal women. According to a 2009 study conducted by Harvard University researchers and published in the "International Journal of Cancer," premenopausal women with high levels of carotenoids such as beta carotene demonstrated a significantly lower trend of breast cancer development.
Magnesium
Sea vegetables are also high in the mineral magnesium, which may help breast cancer patients with some of the side effects of treatment. A 2011 study conducted by Virginia Commonwealth University Health System researchers supplemented magnesium in 25 breast cancer patients with a minimum of 14 hot flashes per week. At the end of the four week trial, over 50 percent of the women reported a reduction in hot flash side effects.
Iodine
Sea vegetables are abundant in the mineral iodine, which may inhibit the growth of breast cancer cells. According to a 2010 study conducted by German researchers and published in the journal "Hormones," iodine demonstrated the ability to halt the growth of breast cancer cells and also encouraged apoptosis -- the process wherein the cancer cells die -- in the breast cancer cells under study.
Lignans
Sea vegetables contain significant amounts of lignans, plant-based compounds which appear to benefit breast cancer patients. The female hormone estrogen fuels cell division; therefore researchers have implicated it in the proliferation of breast cancer cells. According to Natalie Ledesma, M.S., R.D., lignans bind with estrogen and reduce the levels of estrogen in the body, which lowers the risk for developing breast cancer and may also inhibit the growth of existing breast cancer cells.
References
- UCSF Medical Center: Your Health Matters: Nutrition & Breast Cancer; Natalie Ledesma, M.S., R.D.
- International Journal of Cancer: Dietary Carotenoids and the Risk of Invasive Breast Cancer; L.I. Mignone et al.; June 2009
- Supportive Care in Cancer: A Pilot Phase II Trial of Magnesium Supplements to Reduce Menopausal Hot Flashes in Breast Cancer Patients; H. Park et al.; June 2011
- Hormones: The Role of Iodine and Delta-Iodolactone in Growth and Apoptosis of Malignant Thyroid Epithelial Cells and Breast Cancer Cells; R. Gärtner et al.; January 2010
- Cornell University: Sprecher Institute for Comparative Cancer Research: Estrogen & Breast Cancer Risk: The Relationship; Rachel Ann Clark, M.S., et al.; March 1998
