Vitamin D: Can it Really Keep You Cancer Free?

Can Vitamin D really help prevent you from developing cancer?

Once only associated with strong bones and teeth, new scientific research is finding that Vitamin D can cut your risk of developing common cancers by as much as 50%.

Says Sara Hiom, head of health information at Cancer Research UK, “There is evidence to suggest that the vitamin (Vitamin D) plays a role in keeping cells healthy."

Researchers in the U.S. have found that the “natural” form of Vitamin D, D3 or cholecalciferol, can dramatically cut our chances of getting breast, ovarian, colon, and prostate cancers by up to 50%.

As a matter of fact, researchers are telling us that they have known about the link between Vitamin D and a decreased cancer risk for years.

Well my question to them is this… what has been taking you so long to tell us?

They say that up until just recently, they did not know the levels of Vitamin D necessary to provide this decreased risk.

What current research is now finding is that the optimum amount of Vitamin D necessary to reduce your risk of developing these cancers is 1000 IU. This is two and a half times the Recommended Daily Allowance of 400 IU set forth by the Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine here in the U.S.

Many experts now believe that the current RDA of 400 IU for an adult is too low and does nothing more than help ward off chronic bone diseases such as rickets and osteoporosis.

Recently, an article appearing in the American Journal of Public Health, after reviewing 63 independent studies, concluded that thousands of lives might be saved each year and thousands more cancers prevented by folks taking supplemental Vitamin D.

Professor Cedric Garland of the University of California in San Diego who led a major study on the relationship between Vitamin D and cancer risk said this, “A preponderance of evidence, from the best observational studies the medical world has to offer has led to the conclusion that public health action is needed."

This public health action he advocates is the education of the public concerning Vitamin D.

What form of Vitamin D is Best?

Remember that your body has the ability to manufacture its own Vitamin D through direct exposure to sunlight. This form of Vitamin D is called Vitamin D3 or cholecalciferol. This of course is the best form of the vitamin.

The synthetic form is Vitamin D2 or ergocalciferol. This is what is used to fortify milk for instance. It is estimated that it takes twice as much D2 to get the same benefit as Vitamin D3.

Vitamin D3 can also be found in oily fish such as salmon (3 ounces = 530 IU), sardines (3 ounces = 231 IU), and Mackerel (3 ounces = 214 IU).

Unfortunately not all of us can get the required amount of sunlight necessary to produce enough Vitamin D3.

Some of us have fair skin and need to use sunscreen when we venture outdoors. Some of us have dark skin and do not produce as much Vitamin D3 due to our skin pigment.

And of course, the cold parts of the year can keep most of us indoors or bundled up when we do head outside.

And also unless you eat lots of oily fish, you are not going to get your 1000 IU there either.

Professor Garland warned about the dangers of overexposure to the sun, “Dark-skinned people, however, may need more exposure to produce adequate amounts of vitamin D, and some fair-skinned people shouldn't try to get any vitamin D from the sun. The easiest and most reliable way of getting the appropriate amount (of Vitamin D) is from food and a daily supplement.”

Vitamins Nutrition Supplements - Are They Really Needed?

Are vitamins nutrition supplements really needed? Vitamins nutrition supplements should be considered nutritional substances that provide health benefits. Ideally, these benefits will have been proven by clinical studies.

What we consume each day is important, and eating a balanced diet makes sense. Assuming that happens on a regular basis, one problem today is that nutrient values of foods have been declining for decades due to soil depletion. And as for what we eat, for example, the USDA food pyramid recommends consuming 2-1/2 cups of vegetables a day for women and 3 cups a day for men. In reality, most adults just do not consume these minimum amounts, and thus the need for high-quality vitamins nutrition supplements for optimum health.

Quality nutrition supplements are much more than just vitamins and minerals. The bodies of both women and men need and will use a wide array of anti-aging natural supplements such as amino acids, antioxidants, bioflavanoids, neuronutrients and specialized substances such as L-Carnosine, alpha lipoic acid and acetyl L-Carnitine. Vitamins nutrition supplements products that support the health of the heart, eyes, brain, immune system, joints and so on are being proven by studies on an ongoing basis.

Today, we live longer, and we want those extra years to be active ones full of energy and health. The basis for good health is a lifestyle that includes a sensible diet with vitamins nutrition supplements, sufficient quality sleep, moderate exercise and weight management.

High-quality, anti-aging nutrition supplements help fill in the gaps everyone will have in their diet. The essential nutrients that the body needs are extensive and complex. Vitamins and minerals are just the beginning. Other nutrients that provide significant anti-aging benefits are the key to improved energy, better health and freedom from disease.

The best vitamins nutrition supplements cannot be the one-a-day type and the reason is simple. One tablet cannot hold all that's needed in necessary quantities as it would be way too large to swallow. One-a-day vitamins are probably a waste of money as studies have shown. When trying to design your own supplement plan, however, it's easy to end up with a dozen or more individual substances to take daily, which is both a hassle and costly.

And women really need a different vitamin formula than men. Women's vitamins nutrition supplements should contain nutrients proven to support the balancing of female hormones for women in their 30's and beyond. Men's vitamin supplements should contain ingredients that support male prostate health.

Fortunately, there are manufacturers that provide quality vitamins nutrition supplements at reasonable prices. One manufacturer even has the individual ingredients linked to the relevant clinical studies. Before spending your money, be as informed as you can about the nutrient products you'll be taking every day.

Copyright 2006 InfoSearch Publishing

Where’s the Beef? Is there Really a Foodless Food Syndrome?

My all-time favorite TV commercial was that old Wendy's ad. The setting is The Home of the Big Bun; the customer reminds us of Granny from The Beverly Hillbillies. As Granny opens the lid of an over-sized hamburger bun, she discovers an unsettling surprise... a teensy-weensy, itty-bitty patty of beef. Mad as a hornet with P.M.S., she cackles the now-famous slogan:

"Where's the Beef?"

"Where's the Beef?" soon became a catchphrase in the arena of verbal combat. I still chuckle whenever I think back to an infamous moment during the 1984 presidential primaries. Walter Mondale separated himself from underdog Colorado Senator Gary Hart with a little humor.

Mondale borrowed the phrase "Where's the Beef?" to criticize Hart’s lack of depth in policy statements. Everyone knew exactly what he meant. Those three powerful words cut swiftly and poignantly to the proverbial chase! Suddenly, Hart’s pompous pontifications were stripped of their aurora of omniscient omnipotence and simultaneously exposed as frivolous fluff. Reminiscent of the scene from The Wizard of Oz, the curtains parted and the spotlight shifted to an emperor who had no clothes.

Okay, so Mondale didn't beat Reagan. But that's another story.

My point is (and I do have one), although our supermarket shelves are stocked with a wide array of fancy foodstuffs in pretty packages, and even though your gleeful kiddies may make you feel like parent-of-the-month as you reward their consumption of Happy Meals with cool cartoon figurines, remember: “All that glitters ain't gold!” Unless consumers become vigilantly alert, the food industry will continue to crank out an endless entourage of pre-packaged, foodless foods.

Does A Foodless Food Syndrome Really Exist?

My guess is, most people aren't fully persuaded that a foodless food syndrome really exists. Or if this so-called syndrome does exist, it can't possibly be all that serious, right? Granted, many people continuously feel sick and tired, but that's natural, right? Though many people are sick and tired, most are simply not sick and tired of being sick and tired.

Furthermore, we fail to connect the dots. Sure, we've heard the reports. But “Sixty percent of Americans are overweight!” is no longer a newsflash. Complacent to reality, we tempt fate and continue to Super-size our fries. Sure, seventeen million Americans suffer from diabetes, but another gulp of soda pop couldn't hurt. And so what if over 40 percent of the US population will die of a heart attack? I'm not giving up my cholesterol-rich diet. Forget about the fact that there is now irrefutable evidence that high cholesterol levels are associated with increased risk of coronary heart disease. Forget about the fact that there is a direct relationship established between high cholesterol levels and high rates of heart attacks. Surely it's just a coincidence that the high US death toll from heart failure corresponds with the high cholesterol level in The United States.

On the flip side of the coin, is it just a coincident that populations with much lower cholesterol levels also have much lower death tolls? Consider rural China, where the average cholesterol level is almost half that of the American cholesterol level. Less than five percent of their population dies from heart attacks. Hmm. Forty percent verses five percent is a HUMONGOUS difference, don’t you think? Oh well, maybe that too is just a coincidence.

And so what if The World Health Organization tells us yet another time that cancer is a leading cause of death? Who cares if an estimated 7.6 million people died of cancer in 2005? It’s no longer shocking to learn that 84 million people will die in the next 10 years if action is not taken. Besides, what, in bloody blazes, does all this have to do with poor nutrition?

Everything. Numerous experts echo the alarm of the American Cancer Society, "Eating right, being active, and maintaining a healthy weight are important ways to reduce your risk of cancer - as well as heart disease and diabetes."

The Problem with Processed Food

So why am I picking on the processed food industry? Here's the problem in a nutshell.

First, we produce way more food than what is necessary for our consumption, which creates a surplus. So this surplus food needs to be highly refined and processed, otherwise it will spoil. During this process, essential vitamins and minerals are annihilated. The result is, foodless foods are being produced in massive quantities. These food products retain most of their calories, but they have little, if any, nutritional value.

These foodless foods do not nutritionally support your body properly to allow for the normal repair and growth of your tissues and cells. In fact, refined foods are so depleted that the government has laws which require artificial vitamins and minerals to be added in order to meet minimum standards. The very reason why foods are labeled "enriched" or "fortified" is because their natural nutrients have been robbed! As a consequence, over sixty percent of the typical American diet consists of refined foods and snacks.

The Importance of A Healthy Diet and Diet Supplementation

So what's the solution?

The first step is to eat a healthy diet consisting largely of raw fruits and vegetables, preferably organic. Avoid refined sugar and processed bread. Instead, substitute natural sweeteners like honey. Also, eat whole-grain bread.

But let’s face it – we’re not living in the Garden of Eden. Life is a rat race and we’re in the fast lane. It can be cumbersome with our fast-paced lifestyles to get all the essential vitamins and minerals we need by relying on our diets alone. That's why it is critically important to supplement your diet with a great high-quality All-Natural Multi-Vitamin made from Whole-Food sources. Unlike cheap synthetics, Whole-Food Vitamins are the greatest in the world when it comes to nutritionally supporting your body. Plus, they are much better utilized and absorbed by your body’s individual cells.

There’s the Beef!

[DISCLAIMER: The opinions expressed herein are my own, although they have been compiled over the years from my research through books and articles. My opinions should not be considered as medical advice to treat or cure any diseases or illnesses. For these matters, consult a qualified professional.]

For more detailed information, please visit our website at:

http://www.TomsVitamins.com