Hahaha. Just last night I was surfing around reading about Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO), and it's proposed effect (via lignans and secoiridoids) as a putative natural disruptor of HER2. So I do smile this morning as I drink my coffee with my Mediterranean diet cookbook along side me, at your post cp418.

Just for clarity, here are some facets of the Mediterranean diet: Mediterranean diet focuses on fruits, nuts, vegetables, seeds, and olive oil. Combining a Mediterranean diet with reduced meat intake, and consuming moderate amounts of alcohol can also contribute to longevity. (Edit: caveat on the alcohol with ER+status).

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19778610?itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum&ordinalpos=2

The cross talk connection between estradiol and HER2 (mRna? protein based, i.e. translation?) has been discussed for quite some time. Simply put, as I see it, the chance of becoming HER2+ (through over-expressing the type I receptor tyrosine kinase) gradually increases in some residual breast cancer states as estrogen suppression sensitivity/ability decreases (note this is simplistic,  not linear and my description only). In my state, where I was strongly ER+ but HER2-, and having been on aromatase inhibitors now for seven years, I perhaps stand a greater chance of developing resistance to my aromatase inhibitor effect. Knowing this, I have been reading about EVOO for a bit, even adding it to my diet daily. This is just my personal choice, an I am not recommending it for anyone else. But, until this crosstalk is more defined and/or an anti HER2 vaccine (remember those) is developed and recommended in the ER+ state, it seems one small personal adjunct I may use. There are other papers available on EVOO and ER+/HER2+ state:  http://www.spandidos-publications.com/ijo/article.jsp?article_id=ijo_34_1_43, which I note are by Greek researchers.

 So, onto picking out my meal today for our family. I do try to buy first cold pressed EVOO btw.

I wish we had better medicinal direction here, and take my writing with a grain of salt, as clearly this is putative, not known. But it's something, right? Any thoughts?

My best to all,

Tender

 Update: I think once again the saying "there is no free lunch" in life is applicable. In the back of my mind I recalled once reading about oleic acid and red blood cell membrane saturation (good and not so good fats or the Mufa's, and n-6Pufas, and n3 Pufa's.), which is found in many oils, including olive, peanut, grape seed and poppyseed oil. So today, I went back to try to find the article which I post below. Here the abstract suggests oleic acid products may (as gauged through red blood cell membrane saturation), in quantity, not be so good for us. Looks like moderation is always best in diet. I hope we'll hear more guidance though about HER2 conversation in ER+ states. Best. T.

Erythrocyte Membrane Fatty Acids and Subsequent Breast Cancer: a Prospective Italian Study

http://jnci.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/93/14/1088