Cancer is one of the prime reasons of
death in America. It is estimated that there were 1,658,370 new cases of
cancer diagnosed in the US. These are just the newly diagnosed cases
and not the existing cases in the US.
There have been no cure found for cancer
and people continue to lose their lives to one or another kind of
cancer each year. There are more than 100 types of cancers each
specialized and categorized by the type of cell that they affect. Cancer
harms the body when some altered cells start to divide uncontrollably
to form lumps or masses of tissue, which are called tumors. In case of
leukemia, cancer prohibits normal blood functions by causing abnormal
cell division in the blood stream itself.
Though the scientists have not claimed
that they have found a cure to cancer, but they sure have come very
close to finding one by discovery a very surprising and possibly life
altering relation between cancer and a particular vitamin.
1 Which vitamin are they talking about?
The name of the vitamin that scientists
potentially see as a cure to cancer is Vitamin D. It is a very important
vitamin that prevents rickets, osteoporosis, bone loss in people with
hyperparathyroidism and an inherited disease known as osteogenesis
imperfecta, in which a person’s bones are very delicate and brittle.
Vitamin D also helps in conditions
related to blood vessels and heart like high cholesterol and high blood
pressure. It is also an ingredient that helps preventing diabetes,
obesity, muscle weakness, multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis.
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2. Importance of Vitamin D
The biggest issue that links Vitamin D
and cancer is that very few people actually know how to figure out
whether they are getting enough Vitamin D or not. The only way to see
vitamin D deficiency is via blood test, but there are many indicators,
through which it can be determined that a person is suffering from
vitamin D shortage.
Those indicators are depression, pain in
bones, weakness in muscles, chronic asthma (especially in children),
Cognitive loss in elders and excessive sweating and chronic pain. These
indicators can help an individual determine whether they are deficient
in vitamin D and can confirm it via a blood test.
Nearly 70% of American children do not
get the required amount of vitamin D, and about 75% of the adults are
also not getting it in the required quantity. The importance of the
vitamin lies in its ability to cure heart disease and even cancer.
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3. The research and its findings
A research conducted by Dr. Cedric
Garland suggested that vitamin D is highly linked to certain forms of
cancer, particularly breast cancer. His research showed that a person’s
risk of getting breast cancer could be cut down by 50%, if they get
adequate amount of vitamin D.
The research didn’t establish any form
of causal link between vitamin D and cancer, but it showed that there
was an undeniable link between the two. This can be possible; because of
the importance vitamin D has in the body’s functions.
It is necessary for the bones to absorb
calcium and it also regulates the smooth functioning of cardiovascular
system, autoimmune system and several other body processes.
Image Source: www.pancreaticcanceraction.org
4. How to get more of Vitamin D?
The daily recommended allowance of
vitamin D is: from ages 1-70, the daily allowance of vitamin should be
600 IU and for infants from 0-12 months, the daily allowance should be
1000 IU.
It is better to try and get that amount
from dietary substances like fish, milk, yogurt, tuna, mushrooms and
orange juice. Many vegetables such as spinach, kale, okra, collards,
soya beans etc. are full of vitamin D.
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Meats and fishes like salmon, sardines,
perch and rainbow trout, beef liver, egg yolks are also recommended
sources of vitamin D. And the best way is to spend some time in the sun,
especially during early morning to get natural vitamin D.
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