Dairy products query??

Hi @pearl the question you posed did turn into a bit of a merrygo round.
What needs to be made clearer are the benefits of a high calcium diet for both bc and mbc people. Foods rich in calcium not just dairy products are vital to our continued bone health .Dairy sources are some of the richest source . What also is important is that if calium is to work in building our bones it requires vitaminD to do this. Calcium is also important for heart heart function.
If we have been diagnosed with hormone positive bc / mbc the drug group AI such as leterzole will effect not just our production of estrogen but a side effect is usually bone depletion....
So we have to increase our calcium , anti oxidant s and vitamin D .
As well there many vitamins and minerals which aid the  immune ssytem
so we all should be reading widely  
I have been following the us site breastcancer .org which had some interesting and valuable nutrition studies to reflect on 
Sometimes people can spread misinformation ...i hope that by posting questions and requesting help we will make wise choices about the food we eat.
Alcohol perhaps is another one that has an effect or impact on estrogen level ....check out the site for comments on this
Personally i consume alcohol in moderation and am trying to not consume every day .
Cheers Bright

@Pearl, for your information the Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital in America has an app you can download & if you look at soy it doesnt recommend you consume soy products if you have a hormone positive cancer, it is also very handy for looking up herbs as well. Lavender products are also a big no no. 

That's the nature of these discussions @Pearl - as people's interests are sparked, sometimes they can become a little tangential, but all the while still relevant! :)

Oops sometimes these threads can go off in strange directions.
@Pearl do have any links to what you have read that suggests that dairy or soy increase our cancer risks? Everything I have read agrees with my doctors advice to have 3 serves of dairy per day  - mainly to keep my calcium levels up to reduce the osteoporosis risk that comes with taking Arimidex. 
I was in a study last year Women's Wellness After Cancer and as well as promoting dairy for increased calcium they advocated having 2 serves of soy per day as some recent studies have indicated it could reduce cancer risks. 
http:/www.aicr.org/cancer-research-update/2012/november_21_2012/cru-soy-safe.html
http:/www.aicr.org/foods-that-fight-cancer/soy.html#research

Wow...this is getting a bit off track now. My original query was concerning dairy and soy but nobody has a definite answer to whether either of these really actually cause recurrent breast cancers. I intend to pursue a vegan lifestyle as much as possible with occasional dairy products only, as I am disturbed by the possibility of there being so much estrogen (whether it be natural or added hormones) in dairy...and I will await further research into soy products. I have no interest whatsoever in whether alcohol causes cancer recurrence as I have never drunk alcohol in my life and never intend to.Thankyou to all who contributed.

I was only ever a social drinker, I wouldnt say huge but I absolutely enjoyed a wine with a meal :) since having Chemo uuuugh I find I cant handle it as much, I enjoy it with a meal but I go months in between so my body struggles with it now. This wasn't a choice though, it's so individual and realistically its just what suits you. It has no bearing, I had a recurrence and didnt really drink, certainly wasnt motivated by alcohol or poor diet. Its just about nurturing you as an individual and what makes you feel GOOD! :) that's it...be the best you can be there is nothing more to it..Hugs Melinda xo

Deanne said:

But I do feel very much in the minority with this decision which is sometimes upsetting. I have received so much support for other lifestyle changes I have made but people are strangely silent when it comes to my choosing to reduce my risk of recurrence by not drinking. ??

You're not alone.

A few years ago, I met the founder of Hello Sunday Morning. This is an Australian online community for people who want to change their relationship with alcohol. He founded this community as a result of his own desire to stop drinking so much. We talked a lot about how family and friends were not supportive, how difficult it is for people to accept when a person doesn't drink, and how they will try to sabotage your efforts. The community is full of stories like that. 

What annoys me is when people say "Go on - one drink won't hurt you!"
My standard response now is "Really? Wow I didn't know you were a doctor? Where is your practice?"
Shuts them up every time...

@Deanne

Deanne said:

I have made but people are strangely silent when it comes to my choosing to reduce my risk of recurrence by not drinking. ??

Hmm!  When people who don't know me in a social situation and offer me a drink and I say no I don't drink it is highly amusing to see the reaction.  Mostly people back off and some ask is it your religious belief?  I just smile and say no I just don't like the taste nor smell of it.  I will have a baileys at the end of a conference, late Saturday evening with my fellow organisers, once a year and that's it! 
Isn't it funny how a social interaction can have a stigma attached?  There is no fathoming reactions!  Weird!
I'm happy!
Take care

Alcohol is a Group 1 Carcinogen (cancer causing to humans). It is a risk factor for getting breast cancer (and other cancers and health issues) in the first place. I used to drink but personally have made the choice to not drink alcohol at all post bc. There is no nutritional benefit to alcohol. I can relax and enjoy myself without it.

Regardless of the finer points of any research as to whether it increases the risk of recurrence it makes sense to me that this is not something I want to worry about. I have gone through far more difficult things in order to reduce my risk of recurrence than giving up alcohol. Life is just fine without it.

But I do feel very much in the minority with this decision which is sometimes upsetting. I have received so much support for other lifestyle changes I have made but people are strangely silent when it comes to my choosing to reduce my risk of recurrence by not drinking. ??