For some years I have subscribed to Care2.com, following a number of its Animal Welfare and Environment causes, and enjoying the use of its e-card facilities when celebrating a friend’s birthday.
Two recent Care2.com articles by Canadian author and Natural Medicine columnist Michelle Schoffro Cook on cancer prevention struck me as worthy of repeat here.
The author reminds us that we can help ourselves to reduce the risk of cancer by adopting a lifestyle to prevent it. She stresses that vitamin nutrient-rich food is an essential part of any anti-cancer or, for that matter, a healthy living plan.
Michelle notes 5 vitamins in particular that help to support such a lifestyle and protect against cancer.
1. Beta carotene
Found in most orange and green vegetables such as carrots, sweet potatoes, spinach, kale, and other leafy green vegetables. There are indications that it helps to protect the lungs against toxins linked to lung cancer. Ex-smokers who daily eat green and yellow vegetables high in beta carotene will decrease their risk of stomach and lung cancer caused by their smoking habit.
2. Vitamin B6Essential for the maintenance of a healthy immune system, this helps protect the respiratory tract from pollution and infection. Find this vitamin in carrots, apples, offal, bananas, leafy green vegetables, and sweet potatoes.
3. Vitamin COne of the most well-researched nutrients, Vitamin C is a proven bonus in the fight against cancer, both in prevention and disease-management. Michelle quotes a recent American study in which forty patients with cancer of the breast, ovary, uterus, or cervix received large doses of ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) and other vitamins. Another sixty-one patients with other kinds of cancer followed the same regime, while thirty-one patients received no vitamin supplements and served as the control group. The control group lived an average of 5.7 months. Of the others, 80 percent of the patients with cancer of the breast, ovary, uterus, or cervix had a mean survival time of 122 months; patients with other forms of cancer lived an average of 72 months. That translates into a length of life 13 to 21 times longer in those who used vitamin therapy.
4. Folic AcidKnown as vitamin B9, Folic Acid helps protect against cervical cancer and is necessary for the proper formation of the body’s own genetic material – DNA and RNA. It is found in beets, cabbage, dark green leafy vegetables, eggs, citrus fruits, and most types of fish.
5. Vitamin EIn addition to protecting against bowel cancer, Vitamin E works as a powerful antioxidant that reduces the damage caused by ozone and pollutants on the cells. It is found in eggs, wheat germ, liver, unrefined vegetable oils, and dark green vegetables.
In a follow-up article Michelle Cook lists the 5 most important minerals in cancer prevention.
1. Calcium: A proven protector against colon cancer, this mineral is integral for maintaining the health of bones and teeth, blood clotting, and cellular metabolism. Excellent sources include: nuts and seeds, carrot juice, dark green vegetables, salmon and sardines.
2. Iodine: This mineral is found in sea vegetables like kelp, dulse, and Celtic sea salt. It helps protect the body from breast cancer and is required for energy and the growth and repair of healthy tissues.
3. Magnesium: This mineral protects against cancer in general, maintains the pH balance of the blood, as well as aids the formation of your body’s genetic material–RNA and DNA. While damaged genetic material can put you at risk for cancer, magnesium helps with the repair work. It is found in many foods, including: nuts, fish, brown rice, whole grains, and green vegetables.
4. Selenium: This mineral helps the body manufacture glutathione, an enzyme required for proper detoxification of the body. Because toxic build-up in the body is linked to cancer, assisting your body with its natural, ongoing detoxification processes helps lessen your risk of cancer. In research, low dietary levels of selenium have been correlated with higher cancer incidence. Supplementation with selenium is a valuable cancer prevention tool.
5. Zinc: A powerful protective agent against prostate cancer, this mineral is also necessary for the formation of RNA and DNA and a healthy immune system. And, you guessed it: a healthy immune system is better able to kill cancer cells. Zinc is found in pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, seafood, whole grains, soybeans, and onions.
I should perhaps declare an interest in Michelle Schoffro Cook’s writing on Intent.com. On the wrong side of 75, I am overweight and suffering too many disabilities that come with overweight and old age, (many of them interlinked). I have decided to follow her precepts of a Life Force Diet in pursuit of increased energy, a healthier, slimmer body and a sharper mind.
Michelle Schoffro Cook, is a noted author and broadcaster and has Doctorates in Natural Medicine and Acupuncture. She is a registered Nutritional Consulting Practitioner. Michelle writes regularly for Care2.com and Intent.com, (where you can join me in following her Life Force Diet). She lives in Canada.
Sirius
Contributing Blogger
