Breast lumps and caffeine

Caffeine, contained in coffee, tea, cola drinks and chocolates, has been in the eye of a storm swirling around breast lumps for quite some time. Says Dr Amit Aggarwal, consultant in the Department of Endocrine Surgery at the Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, “If young girls can give up coffee, tea and chocolates, their breast lumps often disappear miraculously”.

The issue had erupted few years ago when a lime-soda drink (7-Up) manufacturer had started advertising its drink as safe for women because it does not contain caffeine. Understandably, it upset the manufacturers of Coca-Cola and Pepsi-Cola, which do contain caffeine. They contend that 7-Up's advertising campaign was based on unsubstantiated health concerns.

Avoiding caffeine a xeno-estrogen, can be practically difficult. "Xeno" means foreign. Estrogen is the female hormone that causes breast development and dominates the first part of the menstrual cycle. Scientists now believe that xenoestrogens can cause fibrocystic breast disease and breast cancer. A strict avoidance of tea, coffee, chocolates and cola drinks do wonder to some breasts.

Breast lumps, localized swellings that feel different from the surrounding breast tissue, are indeed common, and occur in around 50% of women between ages 20 and 50. Contrary to the fearful thought that grips the mind on hearing of breast lumps, 90% of them are benign or non-cancerous.

Fibrocystic disease of the breasts, earlier called “fibroadenosis”, is overwhelmingly the commonest cause for breasts to feel lumpy and tender. They often get worse before periods.

Fibroadenoma is the other variety in which a localized firm to hard mobile swelling can be felt in the breast tissue. They often lie for years, and once their benign nature has been established, can either be left to lie for years without risk or removed by small surgery with minimal scar.

The conventional approach of aggressively removing most breast lumps by surgery, resulting to scarred breasts, is now somewhat outdated. Modern clinicians, by clinical examinations and backed by appropriate tests such as mamograms and cytology, can distinguish the cancerous from the non-cancerous quite accurately, and prefer to suggest less mutilating therapies for the benign lumps.

One of the simple strategies that Dr Aggarwal strongly advocates is attention to diet. Fatty food and caffeine are two major culprits. Switching to a high fibre diet that is low in animal fats, and avoiding caffeine often help many women.

Another recent strategy, that some belive works is a daily supplement of Vitamin E, that can be used in addition to the restrictions. “Drugs such as Danazol, with their side-effects, should be used only when these simple measures have failed”, says Dr Aggarwal.

As published in HT City(Hindustan Times) dated 23 October, 2011.