Cancer prevention and treatment

Cancer is a complex disease caused by many different factors.

Anything that weakens or stresses your immune system can lead to cancer, for example:

• Excess exposure to radiation from too many X-rays, electronic devices such as mobile phones, large transmitter towers and nuclear accidents etc.
• Lack of sleep and shift work
• Stress which is prolonged
• Excess alcohol intake
• Smoking cigarettes
• Chronic viral infections – such as hepatitis B and C can cause liver cancer, AIDS (caused by the virus known as HIV) causes many types of cancer. The Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) can cause cancer of the oral cavity, cervix and vulva.
• Immune-suppressant drugs used in transplant patients and autoimmune diseases
• Genetic factors – you may have inherited genes that increase your risk
• Fatty liver disease
• Obesity
• Diabetes and pre-diabetes (insulin resistance)
• A poor diet especially one that is high in sugar
• Celiac Disease and Non Celiac Gluten Sensitivity if you continue to eat a lot of gluten
• Unhealthy bacteria in the intestines – this is known as dysbiosis
• Nutritional deficiencies – the most important ones are low levels of vitamin D and C and the minerals selenium and iodine
• Exposure to toxic chemicals such as solvents, pesticides and heavy metals
• Long term use of the oral contraceptive pill (containing synthetic estrogens and progestogens) increases the risk of liver and breast cancer

Supplements to fight cancer

Supplements are vital if you are fighting cancer but the most important thing is to choose the right supplements.

This is because:

• Most people have a limited budget
• Your gut can only deal with so many tablets, capsules and powders
• You do not want to take excessive doses of any specific supplement as it is not heathy and not effective
• During chemotherapy your gut will be damaged and it is not advisable to take too many antioxidants because they may interfere with the killing ability of the chemotherapy drugs.

Selenium – the most powerful anti-cancer mineral

Selenium is the most important mineral to fight cancer. Selenium is the most important mineral for the immune system and the liver to function at their optimal level; indeed, without adequate selenium in your body, your immune system and liver will remain vulnerable to attack.

It’s amazing to think that despite the profound importance of selenium to human health many people remain deficient in this life saving mineral.

Selenium deficiency is a widespread and serious problem in people of all age groups, from the very young to the very old. Unfortunately, there is a misconception that selenium deficiency rarely occurs in developed countries. However, studies have shown that selenium deficient soils exist in large areas of the USA, Europe, the USA and New Zealand and Australia.

There is also a serious deficiency of selenium in the soils of sub-Saharan Africa, Russia and China.

What are the consequences of selenium deficiency?

• Increased incidence of many different types of cancer, especially lymphoma, blood cancers, breast, thyroid, prostate, colon, lung, skin and liver cancer
• Increased susceptibility to viral infections of all types
• Persistent infections with the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) which can cause cancer of the cervix, vulva, mouth and throat
• Incurable warts on the skin or genitals
• Severe and/or recurrent infections with the herpes virus – cold sores, genital herpes and shingles
• Increased severity of many types of liver disease
• Increased risk of thyroid disease, including thyroid cancer
• Increased allergies and chemical sensitivities
• Increased incidence of inflammatory problems and autoimmune disease

Selenium and Cancer

Laboratory experiments, clinical trials and epidemiological data have all proven selenium’s role in cancer prevention.

Multiple studies show that low selenium levels in the blood, hair, or nail clippings are associated with a two to threefold increase in overall cancer risk. For some types of cancer such as thyroid cancer, the risk rises to nearly 8-fold. Selenium deficiencies are now known to increase risk of cancers of the lung, bladder, stomach, esophagus, and liver.

A meta-analysis of nine controlled clinical trials with 152,538 participants proved that selenium supplementation reduced the risk for ALL cancers by 24%. This cancer-preventive effect was higher (36%) in people with low body selenium levels.

Note: It takes quite a few months for the selenium to build up to protective levels in the important areas of your body, such as the liver and the immune system and thus a long term commitment to taking selenium is needed.

Three forms of Selenium for Cancer Prevention

Humans obtain selenium from a variety of foods (plant and animal sources) and this occurs in these foods in several different forms; each form has its own unique effects.

The three forms of selenium most active in preventing cancer are –

• Sodium selenite
• L-selenomethionine
• Selenium-methyl L-selenocysteine.

Let’s look at their important differences:

• L-selenomethionine increases cancer cell death by apoptosis (cancer cell suicide), but only in cells with an intact “suicide” gene called p53.34.
• Selenium-methyl L-selenocysteine induces apoptosis in mutated cancer cells that lack this suicide gene.
• Inorganic sodium selenite more effectively increases genetic expression of the selenium-containing antioxidant enzyme glutathione peroxidase.

All three selenium compounds stimulate cell death in various types of cancer, but each compound is better at destroying some cancers than others.

In general, the three selenium compounds complement one another in the ways they affect gene expression of proteins that control cancer prevention and suppression. Because of these synergies between the different forms of selenium you can understand why all 3 forms of selenium taken together – namely L-selenomethionine, selenium-methyl L-selenocysteine, and sodium selenite are much more effective at killing off cancer cells. The supplement Selenomune contains these 3 types of selenium to provide protective dose of 200mcg daily of selenium. Selenomune also contains other synergistic immune boosting vitamins and minerals.

Note: Most people, including many medical doctors, do not know that selenium is available in several different forms which can complement each other.

The above statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any disease.