Natural Products for Cancer Prevention/Management (2)

Vitamins

Vitamins come from natural sources but they can also be synthesized. Vitamins play a very important role in maintaining our health.  For example, vitamins A, C, and E are powerful antioxidants and have shown many beneficial health effects.

Vitamin A: Vitamin A plays an important role in a number of biological functions, including vision, immune system, bone growth, and reproduction.  Sources of vitamin A include carrots, sweet potatoes, cantaloupes, and fish.  It has been reported that vitamin A might reduce the risk of lung cancer, but the results were not conclusive.  Because vitamin A is not water soluble, it is not as easy to be removed from the body.  If one takes too much vitamin A, it could accumulate to a level that causes undesirable side effects, including carotenosis (yellow color shown in palms of hands and soles of feet), sensitivity to sun light, dry skin, headache, dizziness, etc.

Vitamin C: In addition to its antioxidant effect, vitamin C has a number of other beneficial effects including immune enhancement, anti-virus, anti-bacterial, skin protection, cardiovascular protection, etc.  Some people, including the famous Nobel laureate, Dr. Linus Pauling, believe that vitamin C has anti-cancer effect if given in very high doses regularly.  Indeed, it has been reported that some vitamins may be associated with lower risks of certain cancers.

Vitamin E: As to vitamin E, many studies have been conducted on its potential effects on cancer.  However, there are no definite conclusion on whether it is really effective in cancer prevention or treatment.

© Jiajiu Shaw, 2016

Disclaimer: This blog is written solely for informational purposes. It does not constitute the practice of any medical, nursing or other medical professional health care advice, diagnosis, or treatment. All contents posted are extracted from the book I am writing, "IS CANCER IN US", to be published in about two months.