Breast Cancer Prevention by Conjugated Linoleic Acid - Essay Example

Tumor can grow to the breast. Some do so normally, but others are health threats. There are various types of malignant breast cancer. They are classified based on the type of breast cell involved. The most usual cases of Breast cancer involve abnormal growth of the cells in the milk-producing lobules and ducts. Minor causes involve the other cells of the mammary glands and neighboring tissues. There is no known single cause of cancer, but potential risks for breast cancer have been described.

The most important of which is genetic mutation of a gene called BRCA and inheritance of such. Age is also considered as an important risk factor, as well as unhealthy lifestyle, that include poor diet, lack of exercises and vices. Early detection and screening is often advised to manage the disease. Simple tools as physical breast exams by palpation or crude imaging technique such as mammography are often very useful. Staying away from the modifiable risks may also offer protection. Radiation therapy and chemotherapy are often used to treat cancer but recently, studies have been looking into conjugated linoleic acid as a potential treatment that could arrest the growth of tumor cells or prevent metastasis to neighboring tissues.

Conjugated linoleic acid or CLA is a molecularly re-arranged version of linoleic acid derived from dairy and meat products from ruminant animals, such as beef, lamb, and veal. CLA have been found to reduce the body weight, fat production, and incidences of allergy, and diabetes. It is also implicated to increase muscle production, promote immune response, and anti-carcinogenic. In vitro and in vivo studies have been found to have greatly reduced tumor growth as well as metastasis but so far, studies have been inconclusive in human studies.

Studies show that c9, t11-CLA isomer is effective in inhibiting carcinogenesis. Some studies also demonstrate the efficacy of the t10, c12-CLA