Researchers have discovered that high levels of the trace mineral, selenium, may prevent colorectal cancer. Getting a healthy amount of this mineral can be achieved through consuming foods rich in selenium such as meats, grains, seafood and certain nuts. The area one lives plays a part in determining one's likelihood to develop colorectal cancer simply because some regions have higher concentrations of selenium in the soil than others.
How Selenium Protects Against Colon Cancer
According to data from three randomized trials, researchers were able to discover the effects of selenium in the development of cancerous colon polyps in patients. They concluded:
The chairman of the department of clinical cancer prevention argued that the researchers' conclusions are by no means definitive; and that the study was not from a large randomized control trial of selenium. However, the possibility that selenium may prevent colorectal cancer was not dismissed.
Yahoo News November 16, 2004
Colon cancer is the second most common cancer diagnosed in both men and women in the United States, resulting in about 55,000 deaths a year. However, it is also considered one of the most preventable types of cancer, as there are several dietary factors that play a protective role.
As noted in the article, selenium is one source of prevention.
Ideally, this mineral should be obtained from your diet, but unless you are eating organic vegetables it is unlikely that you are getting enough from commercially raised vegetables. Thus, if you aren't consuming organic vegetables you might want to consume 100 mcg of selenium a day.
In addition to organic vegetables, apples are a great source of selenium. In a previous newsletter, I told you about how WHOLE apples (including the skin) might help prevent colon cancer as well.
However, if you find that acquiring enough selenium through organic vegetables and apples is a difficult task, another great way to protect against colon cancer is optimizing vitamin D levels.
An effective and natural way to obtain vitamin D is through fish oil or cod liver oil. (Cod liver oil is what you should be taking this time of year since there is not much sunshine.) By regularly consuming high quality oil, you will receive all the essential benefits of vitamin D.
Also, I highly encourage and recommend that you have your vitamin D levels tested. With vitamin D, the evidence is very clear-cut: It works quite dramatically for many cancers and the sad fact is that most of us have levels that are far too low. That is why it is essential to understand that in order to optimize your vitamin D levels, you should first get your blood level checked.
Aside from optimizing your vitamin D levels, there are a number of additional preventative routes to preventing colon cancer. They include:
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