Breast cancer continues to be one of the most common health problems across the globe, especially for women aged 25-39 years. The general trends about the skin incidence of breast cancer with distant metastasis in the mentioned age category are quite alarming, indicating a significant cancer risk. This raises crucial questions of what could be triggering the increase in cases and shows the necessity of addressing the epidemiology to resolve such issues.
Though experts have highlighted a number of reasons including reproductive health patterns and environmental and dietary factors, one of the largely proposed, which is of particular interest, is iodine deficiency in this updating scenario.
In this blog post, we are going to focus on how iodine deficiency may be among the factors contributing to the increase in breast cancer which ought to be dealt with so as to control the rising levels of this disease.
Iodine and Breast Health
Iodine has been noted to be considerably helpful especially in sustenance of the breast health. Studies have indicated that the lack of Iodine can raise the susceptibility of a woman to developing breast cancer. Iodine is also an essential trace element involved in the synthesis of thyroid hormones, which are required for the normal growth and development of breast tissues.
Apart from endorsing the synthesis of hormonal compounds, iodine has other benefits such as acting as an antioxidant and an anti-inflammatory agent which protects the breast tissues. In other words, adequate Iodine intake is therefore good for reducing cases of breast cancer and overall, breast health.
The Role of Iodine in Breast Tissue
There is iodine in the breast tissue that is useful in modifying growth and differentiation of breast tissue cells. The sodium-iodide symporter (NIS) is a polypeptide that is capable of bringing iodine into the breast cells and exert its anti-cancer effects. Iodine according to some scientific studies can also inhibit the proliferation of breast cancer cells and lead to programmed cell death.
It is also evident that iodine can be used together with other types of cancer treatment like chemotherapy and radiotherapy and improve the effects. It underscores the significance of iodine in the control or management of breast cancer.
Molecular Iodine Deficiency and Breast Cancer Development
Iodine is an important trace element necessary for the proper functioning of the thyroid gland and the endocrine system in general. However, its function is not limited to thyroid hormones production. Iodine is also important for breast health. Research has shown that iodine alters gene expression in breast tissue, contributing to its protective effects.
According to some studies, there is a direct relationship between iodine deficiency and the occurrence and development of breast cancer because, iodine is incorporated into the tissue via ‘sodium/iodide symporter’ in breast tissues where it aids in normal cell function and postpones cells’ malignant ailments (Aceves et al. 2005).
In the studies conducted on animal models, it was also evident that the growth of tumors of cancers such as breast cancer is suppressed by iodine supplementation. Studies have demonstrated that molecular iodine can inhibit the growth of breast cancer cells and induce apoptosis. This protective effect is thought to have stemmed from iodine as an antioxidant in addition to its ability to enhance cellular differentiation and apoptosis in breast tissues (Aceves et al, 2013).
Whenever there was insufficient iodine, the result would be unregulated cell proliferation which would eventually lessen the body’s defensive mechanisms against cancer growth.
Iodine’s Anti-Cancer Effects
Many studies have shown the efficacy of iodine as an anti-cancer agent. The same has also been shown to suppress cancer cells and bring about their apoptosis which is of assistance in preventing the spread and development of cancer. The anti-cancer effectiveness of iodine is further boosted by its action as an antioxidant and an anti-inflammatory.
Such mechanisms have not been fully explained on molecular level however it is thought that iodine acts by blocking the growth of malignant cells and inducing programmed cell death. All such obtained data underlines the significance of iodine for maintaining health and fighting cancer diseases.
Iodine’s Impact on Breast Cancer Cells
Iodine is of significant importance in the management of breast cancer. Studies have been conducted which show that iodine can inhibit the proliferation of breast cancer cells and also causes these cells to die, thereby reducing their number.
It has been indicated that iodine has the potential to enhance the efficacy of various forms of anticancer treatments, including but not limited to chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Still it is very less about the molecular details of iodine-mediated effects upon breast cancer, it is however clear that the iodine is indispensable in interventions directed towards induced apoptosis of the breast cancer cells.
The Impact of Iodine Deficiency on the Population
Awareness of iodine deficiency is definitely not as recent as the poster exhibits. In fact, in earlier times, the food products especially bread were fortified with iodine to fulfill the population’s needs. This culture changed by the 1970s with reports documenting a sore decrease in dietary iodine in the United States. Studies published in Breast Cancer Res have highlighted the significant associations between iodine deficiency and breast cancer incidence.
This cutback is mainly responsible for the exclusion of iodine from certain foods which more often consumer was substituting bromine with which mum trusted would supplant iodine at the thyroid or likely the mammary glands too (Vobecky, Babicky, Lener, & Svandova, 1996).
The analysis of data collected during the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) showed at least a 50% reduction in median urinary iodine in the US population between 1971- 1974 and 1988- 1994 and the increasing trend in Iodine deficiency disease diagnosis (Hollowell et al, 1998). Research published in Int J Cancer has documented the effects of iodine deficiency on cancer risk, emphasizing the need for adequate iodine intake.
Most affected is the reproductive age population wherein Women appear to suffer the most when this deficit is the most critical and conversely few can suffer from distant metastasis breast cancer.
How Iodine Deficiency Could Lead to Metastatic Breast Cancer
This shortage of Iodine is sufficient for an explanation why this ascent in a disease which is aggressive, certainly more so in the case of in younger women why this problem is so important.
First, lack of iodine has been recognized as one of the fundamental causes of hypothyroidism which has been considered as contributing in reducing the rate at which breast cancer cells develop but increases chances of spread (Martinez-Iglesias, Garcia-Silva, Regadera & Aranda, 2009). Studies have shown a higher prevalence of autoimmune thyroid disease in individuals diagnosed with breast carcinoma, suggesting a potential link between thyroid health and breast cancer.
The disease makes the recipient reluctant to go for check-ups in case there is development of any tumor after a while and hence enabling cancer to be present in various parts of the body without being treated in good time.
Hypothyroidism as a deficiency of iodine and function of the thyroid gland has often been associated with the occurrence of fibrocystic breast disease which is a predisposing factor in the development of breast cancer. Focal benign breast disease changes can also increase the risk for the development of cancerous cells. The mammary gland iodide transporter plays a crucial role in the uptake of iodine, which is essential for maintaining breast health and preventing cancer.
Because of the low iodine consumption these cells can undergo neoplasia. The link between maternal fibrocystic breast disease and subsequent breast malignancy provides yet another mathematical cog to the argument for the need of iodine especially in the prevention of certain breast ailments (Ghent, Eskin, Low & Hill, 1993).
Iodine Supplementation and Prevention
Supplementation with iodine is known to have a preventive effect on the appearance of any breast cancer. Some studies have reported that supplementation with iodine may protect women at risk of breast cancer who might be iodine deficient.
It has been demonstrated that iodine supplementation is effective in patients who are undergoing chemotherapeutic and radiotherapeutic procedures for cancer. There is no consensus at present regarding the dosage that should be recommended to prevent breast cancer using iodine, but this provision is within the range of 150-300 mcg/day.
It is likely that iodine supplementation helps to decrease breast cancer incidence and improves breast health by maintaining adequate iodine levels.
The Urgent Need to Address Iodine Deficiency and Iodine Supplementation in Women
It's obvious that iodine is one of the cancer prevention agents among peoples, particularly helping to inhibit the development of breast and thyroid cancers. Therefore, as an underlying recommendation in combating breast cancer, there needs to be efforts made towards reversing the iodine deficiency problem. This has been underscored by various studies which have shown that iodine deficiency is critical for the prevention of thyroid cancer which has been associated with breast cancer.
In addition to that, health promoters have to step up in tackling the issues of both iodine deficiency and the more likely objective of iodine and its significance in nutrition. Deficiency in iodine can be tackled by educating the society about its importance and this can also cut down the population cases of thyroid disease that is prone to breast cancer patients.
Due to the role of iodine in breast diseases, supplementation regimen should be considered. It can be assumed that there is a way to decrease the occurrence of not only benign but also malignant types of breast disorders when the apparent iodine deficiency becomes corrected under appropriate medical supervision.
Conclusion
The increasing rate in breast cancer of young women particularly those with distant spread of the disease may be linked to the curse of iodine deficiency. This changing trend has been occurring over the past few decades, rather more disturbingly, it is evident that iodine is important in ear management. Research has shown that iodine uptake is significantly higher in hormone-responsive mammary tumors compared to hormone independent mammary tumors.
If this deficiency is addressed, it is possible that this disturbing trend may be corrected, and the situation of women at high-risk patients of breast cancer may improve. The functional expression of the sodium iodide symporter in human breast cancer tissue highlights the potential therapeutic applications of iodine.
Enhancing the public health strategies such as building awareness of iodine and breast cancer relationship should also be considered which could help in prevention.
Prevention of breast cancer among reproductive age women by adoption of strategies which include iodine supplementation can be effective in this health crisis and enhancement of general women health.
References
- Aceves, C., Anguiano, B., & Delgado, G. (2005). Is iodine a gatekeeper of the integrity of the mammary gland? Journal of Mammary Gland Biology and Neoplasia, 10(2), 189-196.
- Aceves, C., Anguiano, B., & Delgado, G. (2013). The Extrathyronine actions of iodine as an antioxidant, apoptotic, and differentiation factor in various tissues. Thyroid, 23(8), 938-946.
- Ghent, W. R., Eskin, B. A., Low, D. A., & Hill, L. P. (1993). Iodine replacement in fibrocystic disease of the breast. Canadian Journal of Surgery, 36(5), 453-460.
- Hollowell, J. G., Staehling, N. W., Hannon, W. H., et al. (1998). Iodine nutrition in the United States. Trends and public health implications: iodine excretion data from National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys I and III (1971-1974 and 1988-1994). Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 83(10), 3401-3408.
- Martinez-Iglesias, O., Garcia-Silva, S., Regadera, J., & Aranda, A. (2009). Hypothyroidism enhances tumor invasiveness and metastasis development. PLoS One, 4(9), e6428.
- Vobecky, M., Babicky, A., Lener, J., & Svandova, E. (1996). Interaction of bromine with iodine in the rat thyroid gland at enhanced bromide intake. Biological Trace Element Research, 54(3), 207-212.
