CANCER PROMOTION: WHAT ESTROGEN DOES
Estrogen directly affects these epithelial cells that make up the milk sacs and ducts in the breast by attaching to their receptors. It is in these milk duct cells that cancer develops. Estrogen causes these cells to divide more often and more rapidly, creating thousands of new cells. It does this by turning on many genes responsible for growth and proliferation. Each time these cells divide there is the chance for a mistake to be made, leading to cancerous changes in the cell. Lots of estrogen causes these cells to divide, multiply, and grow even more quickly. It does this by speeding up the cell's "cycle clock." That is, each cell has a gene clock that dictates how quickly or slowly it grows and replicates itself. Lots of estrogen speeds up this clock. If these are cancerous cells what they need to divide and flourish is fuel, and that fuel is estrogen.
Let's follow the estrogen pathway from the time estrogen is produced, along its journey through the bloodstream to the estrogen receptors and its eventual effect on DNA. Remember that foods can powerfully block every one of these processes.
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Womens health
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PUBERTY
All of a sudden, strange things start to happen to our young Miss as she begins to grow up.
It can commence anywhere from nine years of age onwards. In recent years, for reasons unknown, it seems to be commencing at a younger and younger age in western lands. No doubt it is tied up with today's sophisticated way of living, earlier psychological development and earlier mental stimulation, all of which play a potent part. It is referred to as puberty.
Suddenly the system starts to develop potent chemicals, called sex hormones, and these have a rapid and far-reaching effect on many parts of the system.
Suddenly breast development commences. The unnoticed, flat, pinkish nipples become more marked, rounded and protrude as they rapidly increase in size. This is most noticeable between the ages of 8 and 15. Pubic hair commences to grow, this becoming obvious in the 8-14 age group at any time. Underarm hair also makes an appearance.
Menstrual periods make a tentative start, and anywhere from 10 to 161?2 years they will become more and more regular. There is usually a dramatic increase in height; this is called a 'height spurt' and takes place in the 9-141?2 age bracket.
The skinny, school-age child is transformed within a few short years into a modern young woman of vastly different appearance and shape. Most tend to put on weight, but there is an alteration of the system's fat deposits, giving the body the characteristic female curves which tend to remain for life. In brief, Nature has transformed her into an adult, with the physical and psychological issues that this involves.
But although the ages quoted are 'averages', the range is enormous and varied. Many develop sexually at an early age. Others are late developers, and often they may reach the age of 18 or 20 before some of the typical secondary sexual characteristics (as the doctors say) have appeared. This is especially so in regard to breast development.
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Womens health
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