Her 2 Breast Cancer

I found this article to be very helpful. 

What should HER2/neu breast cancer patients and survivors eat?

Up to 25 percent of breast cancers overexpress the HER2/neu gene. HER2/neu has a role in the signal transduction pathways leading to cell growth and differentiation, which accounts for the reputation of aggressiveness of this type of breast cancer. However, there are some foods and spices that have been shown to be especially potent in inhibiting HER2 positive (HER2+) breast cancer cell growth and proliferation and promoting apoptotic cell death. Some other foods have been found to amplify the effects of Herceptin, which is used to treat HER2+ breast cancer.

Apigenin, a flavone found in foods such as parsley, celery, guava berries, bell peppers and Chinese cabbage, has been found to increase HER2+ cell death, as well as enhancing the effectiveness ofTaxol and 5-FU, which are sometimes used to treat HER2+ breast cancer.

Melatonin, which is found in almonds, cherries, tomatoes, walnuts and oats, has been shown to induce apoptosis (programmed cell death) and reduce proliferation of HER2+ breast cancer cells. Note that red meat consumption has been shown to reduce circulating melatonin.

A relatively high omega-3 to omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid ratio in the diet is associated with reduced risk of HER2+ breast cancer. The combination of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, found in fatty fish) and curcumin (the main active ingredient of turmeric), has been shown to be more effective in increasing programmed cell death of HER2+ breast cancer cells than either compound used separately.

Women with HER2+ breast cancer should also review the appropriate web page concerning their individual hormone receptor subtype (ER+/PR+, ER+/PR-, ER-/PR+, or ER-/PR-).

Foods that inhibit HER2/neu breast cancer growth and proliferation

The following foods and spices or their components have been found specifically to inhibit the growth or proliferation of HER2/neu overexpressing breast cancer cells and have also been found to reduce breast cancer risk in general:

Artichokes Bell peppers Black pepper Blueberries Bok choy Broccoli & broccoli sprouts Brown rice Brussels sprouts Cabbage, green or red Carrots, purple Cauliflower Celery Cherries, especially sour cherries Collard greens Cranberries Grapes, red Green tea Herring Horseradish Hot peppers

Kale Lake trout Lettuce Mackerel Mustard & mustard greens Olive oil, extra-virgin Onions, red Parsley Pomegranates Raspberries Rice, black Salmon, wild Sardines Scallions Spinach Tomatoes Turmeric Turnips & turnip greens Walnuts Watercress

Foods and supplements that promote HER2/neu breast cancer growth

The following foods and supplements have been shown to promote HER2+ breast cancer growth or increase HER2+ expression:

Alcohol

Anti-oxidant vitamins

Folic acid supplements

Genistein supplements

Ligusticum chuanxiong supplements

Milk thistle or silymarin supplements

Peanuts

Si-Wu-Tang supplements

Soybeans

Soy protein isolate

There is some evidence that copper could promote HER2+ angiogenesis and metastasis. High copper foods such as calf's liver and beef liver should be avoided. Foods with moderate copper content, such as shellfish, textured soy protein, chocolate, tree nuts, and sunflower seeds should be limited or avoided. Multivitamins and copper jewelry (including red gold or pink gold) are other potential sources of copper exposure. Note that cigarette smoking is associated with significantly poorer outcomes for HER2+ patients.

Foods that result in higher omega-3 to omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid ratio

The following foods are good dietary sources of omega-3 fatty acids:

Canola oil

Flaxseed oil

Herring

Lake trout

Mackerel

Salmon, wild

Sardines

Walnuts and walnut oil

Additional comments

Breast cancer patients and survivors with HER2/neu-overexpressing breast cancer should eat a wide variety of the foods on our recommended food list and limit or avoid those on our avoid list in addition to emphasizing the foods and spices on the lists above.

Below are links to recent studies on this topic. For a more complete list of studies, please click onHER2+.

Tags: alcohol, apigenin, artichoke, bellPepper, blackPepper, broccoli, brusselsSprouts, cabbage,canolaOil, carrot, cauliflower, celery, cherry, chocolate, copper, cranberry, curcumin,docosahexaenoicAcid, flaxseed, folate, genistein, grape, greens, greenTea, Her2Overexpressing,HER2PositiveArticles, herring, horseradish, hotPepper, kale, lakeTrout, lettuce, mackerel,melatonin, multivitamins, mustard, olive, omega3, omega6, onion, parsley, peanut, pomegranate,raspberry, rice, salmon, sardine, silibinin, soybean, soyProteinIsolate, spinach, sunflowerOil,tomato, turmeric, turnip, walnut, watercress

Selected breast cancer studies

Sensitization of HER2 Positive Breast Cancer Cells to Lapatinib Using Plants-Derived IsothiocyanatesReal Time Cell Analysis of the inhibitory effect of Vitamin K2 on adhesion and proliferation of breast cancer cellsLower Breast Cancer Risk among Women following the World Cancer Research Fund and American Institute for Cancer Research Lifestyle Recommendations: EpiGEICAM Case-Control StudyNatural product sulforaphane selectively inhibits breast cancer stem cells in basal and trastuzumab resistant Her2+ breast cancerMetformin increases survival in hormone receptor-positive, Her2-positive breast cancer patients with diabetesThe role of polycomb group protein Bmi-1 and Notch4 in breast cancer stem cell inhibition by benzyl isothiocyanatePeanut agglutinin appearance in the blood circulation after peanut ingestion mimics the action of endogenous galectin-3 to promote metastasis by interaction with cancer-associated MUC1Resveratrol suppresses the proliferation of breast cancer cells by inhibiting fatty acid synthase signaling pathwayComputational analyses of curcuminoid analogs against kinase domain of HER2Improved Clinical Outcomes Associated With Vitamin D Supplementation During Adjuvant Chemotherapy In Patients With HER2+ Non-metastatic Breast CancerSynergistic effect between Ganoderma lucidum (Reishi) and lapatinib in HER2 inflammatory breast cancer cellsInduction of Caspase-dependent Apoptosis by Apigenin by Inhibiting STAT3 Signaling in HER2-overexpressing MDA-MB-453 Breast Cancer CellsPre-diagnostic smoking behaviour and poorer prognosis in a German breast cancer patient cohort - Differential effects by tumour subtype, NAT2 status, BMI and alcohol intakeScreening to Identify Commonly Used Chinese Herbs That Affect ERBB2 and ESR1 Gene Expression Using the Human Breast Cancer MCF-7 Cell LineAssessment of Ethanol Induction of Breast Cancer Metastasis: the Involvement of ErbB2 and Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER) Stress (LB833)Docosahexaenoic acid attenuates breast cancer cell metabolism and the Warburg phenotype by targeting bioenergetic functionAqueous Maté Extract Decreases the Viability Human Breast Cancer through Apoptosis and Cancer RepressionLong-term exposure to dietary sources of genistein induces estrogen-independence in the human breast cancer (MCF-7) xenograft modelCurcumin and its Analogues (PGV-0 and PGV-1) Enhance Sensitivity of Resistant MCF-7 Cells to Doxorubicin through Inhibition of HER2 and NF-kB ActivationFolic Acid Supplementation Promotes Mammary Tumor Progression in a Rat Model

The original site is http://foodforbreastcancer.com/articles/what-should-her2-slash-neu-breast-cancer-patients-and-survivors-eat%3F