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Many surveys indicate that certain antioxidants can prevent cancer. One of them is Vitamin A. According to an authoritative review by Dr. Kumaut and Dr. Meyskens of the University of Arizona, which stated: "Vitamin A has been found to have a protective effect for almost all kinds of cancers." The latest survey involved 89,000 nurses for eight years. Those taking above 6630 IU of vitamin A showed significantly lower incidence of cancers. The RDA for Vitamin A is only 5000 IU per day and the average American intake is only about 3900 IU per day. Beta-carotene is the most prevalent source of vitamin A in our food. Most surveys measure beta-carotene, but they report it as units of vitamin A activity. Fortunately, beta-carotene has a stronger effect against cancer than vitamin A itself. This is important, as high intake of vitamin A (above 10,000 IU per day) can be toxic for sensitive people, but beta-carotene has hardly shown any toxic effect. A large survey in Japan, where 25,000 people where involved, showed that people on diets low in beta-carotene had increased risks of lung - , stomach - , colon - , prostate - , and cervical cancer. The National Cancer Institute of America and the American Cancer Society both admit that beta-carotene protects against cancer. However, the average American only takes about one-third of the amount recommended by the above mentioned Institute. A large animal study of the University of Calfornia indicated that vitamin C also prevent a variety of cancers. The University of Minesota held a survey that showed men with a high intake of vitamin C had a much lower incidence of stomach - , colon - , and rectal cancer. The amount of vitamin C necessary to prevent cancer is much higher than the American food supply can provide. The average intake of vitamin C for American men is 109 mg / day and for women 77 mg / day. However, the amount of vitamin C in tests used to successfully prevent the formation of carcinogens is in the multi - gram range! The protection of vitamin E is simular to that of vitamin C. A study among 15,000 women during 8 years showed no signs of cancer. Women in the group with low blood levels of vitamin E developed 160% more cancer during the follow-up. Likewise, as with vitamin C, the amounts of vitamin E required to prevent cancer are much higher than our food can provide. The average American intake of vitamin E is only 7 - 11 mg / day. A recent study by the American Dietetic Association recommend 200 - 800 IU of vitamin E daily in order to get any significant protection against cancer. Suggestions by uninformed media that intake of 800 IU or more of vitamin E can be toxic, raises blood pressure and causes all kinds of malignancy in our system are proven to be false by Drs L. Machlin and A Bendich. They revieved all studies on vitamin E and concluded that even 3200 IU daily during six months showed no significant toxic effect on normal, healthy people. Selenium also protect against cancer. Extensive animal studies reviewed by cancer expert Dr.Ames, professor of Biochemestry at UC Berkely in San Francisco, showed that selenium inhibits the development of deliberately induced breast - , liver - , skin - , and colon cancers. It works also in humans. In a large study by Dr. Knekt in Finland serum samples were frozen from 21,172 men. During the next decade, 143 developed lung cancer. When stored serum samples were analysed and compared with a control group, the cancer victims showed much lower selenium levels than the controls. Selenium deficiency also affects melanoma. Dr. V. Reinhold and collegues in the Department of Dermatology at the University of Bonn examined the serum of melanoma patients and compared it with controls. The cancer patients showed significantly lower levels of selenium, even in early stages of the disease. These results indicate that the deficient selenium nutrition preceded the melenoma. Selenium is known to protect the skin against ultra-violet damage, which occurs by oxidation. It is almost certain that the selenium deficit was the primary cause of the cancer. The careless use of chlorofluorocarbons has destroyed part of the ozone layer, which protect the Earth against ultra-violet light. The American Enviromental Protection Agency predicts over one million additinal cases of skinancer caused directly by the depletion of ozone. It is only common sense to protect yourself with an aduquate intake of 200 - 400 microgram of selinium in the form of organically bound l - selenomethionine. L-glutathione, one of the main antioxidants in our body, is now thought to be a major cellular defense mechanism against carcinogens. This discovery is vital to our understanding of cancer and other degenerative diseases, because glutathione levels decline with aging in mosquitos, mice and humans. At the University of Louisville School of Medicine, Professor Calvin Lang gave mosquitos supplemental precursers of glutathione. Their glutathione levels went up and their lifespan was extended by a whopping 40%. A mosquito is not such a good model for a human being, but what about mice? Drs. J. Miguel and Hans Weber of the Alexander Medical Foundation in San Carlos, CA, gave mice supplemental precursors of glutathione. Blood glutathione went up and lifespan increased. Another product that prevent cancer is Coenzyme Q10. It is not made by our body,but derived from coenzyme Q, which is found in foods by its common name of ubiquinone. Despite the abundance in food, the level of coenzyme Q10 declines in our body, due to the decline of an enzyme in the liver that converts Co Q to Co Q10. There is an enormous source of evidence from animal and human research that suggest maintaining a high level of Co Q10 lifelong. Dr. Bliznakov at the New England Research Institute in Connecticut induced cancer in mice by injection of dipenzpyrene, the most potent carcinogen in tobacco. One group of mice was given a diet supplemented with Co Q10. After ten weeks, every unsupplemented mouce had developed cancer. One quarter of the supplemented mice never developed cancer. Co Q10 has been widely used as a nutrient in European and Japanese medicine since 1980. Nevertheless, the exact amounts requred to prevent cancer are still unknown,but USANA Health Sciences supply daily supplements which contain 100 mg Co Q10.
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