- Deaths Annually: 553,091
(2000)
- Age-Adjusted Death Rate:
200.9 deaths per 100,000 population (2000)
- Cause of Death Rank: 2 (2000)
1
Cancer is the second leading
cause of death in the United States. Half of all men and
one-third of all women in the U.S. will develop cancer during
their lifetime. However, the risk of developing most types of
cancer can be reduced by changes in a person's lifestyle, such
as quitting smoking and a better diet.2
Cancer develops when the DNA in
a cell is damaged and the cell becomes abnormal. As the
cell grows, the damaged DNA is duplicated in each cell and the
cells in that part of the body begin to grow out of control.
Although there are many kinds of cancer, they all start because
of out-of-control growth of abnormal cells.3
People can inherit damaged DNA,
which accounts for inherited cancers. Many times though, a
person’s DNA becomes damaged by exposure to something in the
environment, such as cigarette smoke.
Normal body cells grow, divide,
and die in an orderly fashion. During the early years of a
person's life, normal cells divide more rapidly until the person
becomes an adult. After that, cells in most parts of the body
divide only to replace worn-out or dying cells and to repair
injuries.
Because cancer cells continue to
grow and divide, they are different from normal cells. Instead
of dying, they outlive normal cells and continue to form new
abnormal cells.
Cancer cells often travel to
other parts of the body where they begin to grow and replace
normal tissue. This process, called metastasis, occurs as the
cancer cells get into the bloodstream or lymph vessels of our
body. When cells from a cancer like breast cancer spread to
another organ like the liver, the cancer is still called breast
cancer, not liver cancer.
Cancer usually forms as a tumor.
Some cancers, like leukemia, do not form tumors. Instead, these
cancer cells involve the blood and blood-forming organs and
circulate through other tissues where they grow.
Remember that not all tumors are
cancerous. Benign (noncancerous) tumors do not metastasize
(spread to other parts of the body) and, with very rare
exceptions, are not life threatening.
Different types of cancer can
behave very differently. For example, lung cancer and breast
cancer are very different diseases. They grow at different rates
and respond to different treatments. That is why people with
cancer need treatment that is aimed at their particular kind of
cancer.
Being informed about this major
killer is important and can be depressing when you realize that
1 in 3 of us will get some form of cancer in our lifetime.
The good news is that much research has been done to show that
an improved lifestyle including healthier eating, exercise and
proper nutrient levels can help prevent this terrible disease.
For example, a study from the
Journal of the American Medical Association Vol. 281 No. 15,
April 21, 1999 showed that Vitamin C was "beneficial in
preventing cancer".4 Another study
reported in a leading Cancer Epidemiology forum in October of
2001 that "Vitamin C supplement use was associated with a
significantly lower risk for gastric cancer". 5
An interesting note is that both
studies refer to the increased intake of vitamin C from fruits
and vegetables. The Greatest Vitamin in the World
uses only the most absorbable form of Vitamin C from Acerola
Cherries. This organic form of Vitamin C comes from the
Equadorian rain forest. Check out the research on the
importance of utilizing whole food vitamins versus synthetics in
the Vitamin section.
Another greatly researched
nutrient for helping prevent cancer is Garlic. One of many
studies was done at the Department of Epidemiology and
Nutrition, at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.6
This study concluded that "Garlic may be associated with a
protective effect against stomach and colorectal cancers".
Many other studies have shown
that Beta Carotene and other antioxidants have a great impact
against cancer-causing free radicals.7 Antioxidants
have been shown to actually inhibit the development of cancer.8
Be sure to check out the tremendous benefits of antioxidants in
our anti-aging section of the website.
Cancer is a terrible disease
that many of us are at risk for. The Greatest Vitamin
in the World works to help lower the risk of cancer by providing you
with 100% of the daily needs of all essential nutrients along
with some of the most researched cancer prevention nutrients
known.
This article courtesy of John Trout - www.vitamin4body.com
1. National Vital
Statistics Report, Vol. 50, No. 16
2. Taber's Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary, Edition 16. F.A. Davis
Company: Philadelphia,1989, p. 276.
3. http://www.cancer.org/.
Faulty DNA Repair May Make Some Smokers More Likely to Develop
Lung Cancer.
4. JAMA. Vol 281, No. 15, April 21, 1999.
5. Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers and Prevention. Vol. 10,
1055-1062, October 2001.
6. The American Journa of Cinical Nutrition. Vol, 72, No. 4,
1047-1052, October 2000.
7. JAAMA. Vol 279, No. 18, May 13, 1998.
8. Blot, W.J., et al. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1993;18:1483-1492. |
