How to Reduce Your Risk of Cancer Cell Dominance

By Karen A. Holmes

The cells of the human body do not become cancer cells without reason. We are fearfully and wonderfully made and yet cancer has almost caught up with heart disease as the #1 killer in the U.S., together causing more than 80-90% of all deaths.

Many factors are involved in cancer cell dominance in the human body and the good news is we can change almost all of those factors, drastically lowering our risk of losing the cancer battle - even after the battle has started. But we must be very proactive in changing our lifestyle.

One very important factor in protecting a cell from becoming a cancer cell is the availability of vitamin A. Vitamin A has many important functions in the body, but specifically addresses cells turning into cancer cells, the body’s ability to properly address cells that have already turned into cancer cells and assisting in the replacement of cells destroyed by cancer in the following ways:

First, vitamin A in the cell prohibits the attachment of a carcinogen (cancer-causing substance) to the cell’s genetic material (DNA). When the carcinogen cannot bind to the cell, the risk of it turning into a cancer cell because of that carcinogen is eliminated.

Second, vitamin A enlarges the thymus gland which shrinks tumors.

Third, carotenes, which are the plant precursors to vitamin A, have a number of immune-enhancing effects on the body by significantly increasing the frequency of helper T-cells which attack and reject cancer cells from the body.

And fourth, vitamin A helps to manufacture red blood cells which assist in replacing the cells destroyed by cancer.

Pertaining to vitamin A’s availability to the cells, we must also consider inhibitors of vitamin A. First, zinc is necessary for the enzyme that activates vitamin A. Without zinc in the enzyme, the vitamin A cannot be converted to the active form. Because cows’ milk protein (casein) binds zinc avidly and prevents its absorption, those consuming dairy products may develop a vitamin A deficiency. This would explain the studies showing the link between dairy products and cancer. Milk is usually supplemented with vitamin A palmitate because of the known link between dairy and vitamin A deficiency, but the problem with this is vitamin A palmitate is the synthetic form which has been shown to cause cancer, and even if it was a good source, this addition is missing the point that the milk binds the zinc which prohibits the use of the vitamin A (immobilizes it). So no matter how much vitamin A you add, it still needs zinc to mobilize it - which is bound by the dairy. And another inhibitor of vitamin A is the fake fat olestra which binds carotenoids and sends them out of the body unabsorbed. Olestra is found mostly in snack foods such as low fat or fat-free chips.

Please note that the sources for vitamin A/carotenes are very important. Vitamin A palmitate is a synthetic form of vitamin A and has been shown to cause cancer, as well as synthetic forms of carotenes. Vitamin A in fish oil can be contaminated with chemicals absorbed by the fish which are carcinogenic, and even if pure and untainted, any source of vitamin A (not from plant sources) can cause severe toxicity if taken in too high of doses and can cause birth defects if taken by pregnant women even in moderate amounts. Many people take a beta-carotene supplement, but there are many carotenes, all designed to work together in balanced fashion as in food, and taking just one of the carotenes causes an imbalance which prohibits proper use of any one of the carotenes. The best sources of vitamin A for absorption and safety are in the form of carotenes (Vitamin A precursors) from whole plants or a natural whole plant-sourced supplement with the phytochemicals naturally occurring.

Great food sources containing higher levels of carotenes are the dark, leafy greens, deep orange fruits and other yellow or orange vegetables: sweet potato, turnip greens, papaya, mango, spinach, cantaloupe, kale, carrots, broccoli, apricots, watermelon, cherries, peaches, tomato and butternut squash.

In summary, vitamin A is very important for preventing cells from becoming cancer cells, eliminating cells which have already turned into cancer cells and replacing cells that are defective. And, the best sources of bio available vitamin A are in the form of carotenes found in whole plant food and natural whole plant-sourced supplements with all the naturally occurring components in tact.

Submitted by Karen Holmes What is God's plan for your health? Does He have an answer for you? Learn how to line up with His plan at: http://HealthByGodsDesign.com/ Whole health, healthy recipes and one of a kind plant based supplements.

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