Threads On Cancer And Supplements.

Cancer ranks second only to heart disease as a leading cause of death and disability in the United States. Recent advances in early detection and treatment have transformed some potentially deadly cancers into curable diseases or treatable chronic illnesses. The term cancer survivor has now all but replaced cancer victim when referring to a person with a diagnosis of cancer.

Though the potential for cure is exciting, prevention of cancer remains far and away preferable. Can an individual’s chosen behaviours affect the risk of contracting cancer? Probably. Inherited tendencies exert only a modest effect on most people’s risk of cancer development. Just a very few rare cancers are known to be caused genetic inheritance alone and will appear in members of an affected family regardless of lifestyle choices. A few more are linked with viral infections, but far more often lifestyle and environmental factors come into play. For example, if everyone in the United States quite smoking right now and stayed quit, future total cancers would probably drop by a third. Another 15 percent may be preventable by preventing overweight and obesity. Lack of physical activity almost certainly plays a role in the development of colon and breast cancer and probably contributes to others.

Another 20-50 percent of total cancers are influenced by diet, and these relationships are the focus of this section. Dietary fat, meat, alcohol, excess calories, and low intakes of fruits and vegetables have been the targets of much research regard to the occurrence of cancer. Such constituents of the diet relate to cancer in several ways:

• Foods or their components may cause cancer

• Foods or their components may promote cancer

• Foods or their components may protect against cancer

Also, for the person who has cancer, diet can make a crucial difference in recovery under scrutiny for refinement. Some dietary and environmental factors currently believed to be important in cancer causation are listed here.

WARNING SIGNS OF CANCER

Remember also that, if a cancer is left untreated, it can spread quickly through out the body. When this happens, it is much more likely to lead to death. Thus, early detection is critical. Aids to early detection include the following warning signs:
Unexplained weight loss
A change in bowel or bladder habits
A sore that does not heal
Unusual bleeding or discharge
A thickening or lump in the breast or elsewhere
Indigestion or difficulty in swallowing
An obvious change in a wart or mole
A nagging cough or hoarseness

There are still other ways to detect cancer early. Colonoscopy examinations for middle-age and older adults, PSA (prostrate-specific antigen) tests for men over 50, and Papanicolaou tests (Pap smears) and regular breast examinations (and mammograms) starting about age 40 to 50) for women are recommended. Finally, to learn still more about cancer, review these sources of credible cancer information on the internet.

TIPS TO PREVENT CANCER

You should allow cancer prevention into your daily life with these quick and easy tips.

• Consume foods rich in beta carotene.

A look into how beta carotene can help prevent cancer

• Know your family history of cancer

A look into why knowing your family history can help prevent cancer

• Know whether or not you are exposed to radon

Exposure to carcinogen radon puts you at risk for developing cancer like lung cancer

• Men should perform monthly testicular self exams (TSE’s) to look for testicular cancer.

• Grill meats in moderation

Learn how grilling meats can cause cancer and what you can do to remedy it.

• Ladies have a regular mammogram!

A mammogram may not stop cancer, but aids in early detection of breast cancer. The earlier breast cancer is detected, the higher the chances of survival

• Check your breast.Men too!

Men and Women needs to check their breast very often to prevent cancer of the breast

SUPPLEMENTS

Throughout human evolution the source of essential micronutrients were foods and beverages. Today, vitamin and mineral intake takes on additional formats: the enrichment and fortification of commercial processed foods; food staples fortified for public health goals; and public health motivated nutrient supplements of iodine to the public as over the counter multivitamin/mineral, pair and single supplements.

Supplementation refers to periodic administration of pharmacological preparations of nutrients as capsules or tablets or by injection when substantial or immediate benefits are necessary for the group at risk. As established at the International Conference on Nutrition (16), nutritional supplementation should be restricted to vulnerable groups, which cannot meet their nutrient needs through food (women of childbearing age, infants and young children, elderly people, low socioeconomic groups, displaced people, refugees, and populations experiencing other emergency situations). For example, iron supplementation is recognized as the only option to control or prevent iron deficiency anaemia in pregnant women. Supplementation with folic acid should be considered for women of child bearing age who have had a child with neural tube defect to prevent recurrence (Food and Agricultural Organisation and World Health Organisation 2002).

Supplementation is also defined as the regular distribution of vitamins and minerals in form of tablets, capsules or syrups to groups most at risk of deficiency, particularly children and women of child bearing age. Supplementation is known to help the body function properly. Supplementation also protects against environmental stresses and strengthens your immune system. Moreover, proper antenatal supplementation also helps the body adapt to stress, fight fatigue and give added vitality.