Search Body Detox

Seven Potent Nutrients that Fight Breast Cancer

http://blog.drdavidwilliams.com/blog/digestive-health-guidance/seven-potent-nutrients-that-fight-breast-cancer

Since October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I thought it was a good time to share one of the biggest--yet little-known breakthroughs in breast cancer research.

What researchers have found is that breast cancer patients have particularly low levels of the antioxidants selenium, glutathione, vitamin C, vitamin E and its various cofactors, bioflavonoids, carotenoids, and coenzyme Q10.

Selenium works with glutathione to help protect fatty tissues in the body, such as the breasts, from free-radical damage. Animal research has shown for years that low levels of selenium are directly related to the development of various cancers of the breast, liver, and prostate. The latest research shows this relationship appears to be the case in humans as well.

Heres how to make sure youre protected...

* Selenium: Most people in this country have inadequate selenium levels (due to poor soil and poorer diet), but this problem is easily corrected. One of the richest food sources of selenium is Brazil nuts (one ounce contains over 800 mcg of selenium). You should be getting at least 400 mcg of selenium daily, 200 mcg of it from your daily multivitamin/mineral supplement.

* Glutathione: Glutathione is not only one of the most important antioxidants; it is also a significant detoxification compound. Low levels of glutathione are a direct indicator of poor overall health. Glutathione also helps protect and regulate a tumor suppression protein called p53 that is known to be involved in over half of all cancers.

Under normal circumstances, p53 works by slowing down cell division whenever cellular DNA material is damaged which gives the body more time to repair the damage before the cell division gets out of control and develops into cancer. The p53 protein also has the ability to completely stop the cell division in cancer cells, effectively destroying them. The ability of the p53 protein to perform these life-saving feats, particularly in cancer where cells are rapidly dividing and spewing out large quantities of toxic waste and byproducts depends on an adequate supply of glutathione.

You can raise your level most economically by taking the supplement N-acetylcysteine (NAC) and/or regularly using a good protein powder. Improving glutathione levels is one of the primary reasons I recommend and drink a protein-based shake each morning.

* Vitamin C and Vitamin E: Antioxidants tend to help re-activate each other. For example, when vitamin E stops a free-radical reaction it becomes “de-activated.” When there are adequate levels of vitamin C available, however, vitamin E can be “re-activated” which enables it to quench more free radicals.

* Bioflavonoids and Carotenoids: A varied mix of two types of compounds called bioflavonoids and carotenoids is also essential in preventing and/or treating breast cancer. Both of these families of compounds are found in varying degrees in fruits and vegetables. Bioflavonoids provide the green-blue-purple colors in food, and carotenoids give us yellow, orange, and red, so a variety of colors of food will give you a wide variety of beneficial compounds.

Since research has shown that some of the bioflavonoids such as quercetin, rutin, and hesperidin have the ability to both inhibit cancer and prevent the spread of the disease, you should be sure that there are adequate amounts of these compounds (100 mg or more) in your daily multi-nutrient. The same holds true for many of the carotenoids that also work best in combination and which you can get by eating an assortment of fruits and vegetables.

* Coenzyme Q10: Coenzyme Q10 is another very important compound for the prevention of breast cancer. Women who develop the disease are routinely deficient in CoQ10. Not only is it a powerful antioxidant, but it appears to help destroy cancer cells by increasing metabolism and free-radical damage inside the cancer cells themselves. Daily dosages in the neighborhood of 300 to 400 mg of CoQ10 have resulted in either a partial or complete regression of breast cancer tumors. Some of the most commonly prescribed medications (beta-blockers for high blood pressure treatment and the statin drugs used to lower cholesterol) also deplete CoQ10 levels. The long-term use of these drugs can lead not only to additional heart problems, but also to cancers.