Antioxidant Vitamins and Cancer
Cancer is one of the world's number one killers; nearly 75% of all Americans are affected by this disease. Thus, much time and research has been put into finding a preventative means of slowing the deaths attributed to this disease. Research by the scientific community coupled with propaganda from the media has brought antioxidants to the forefront in preventative medicine against cancer. This site will discuss what the claims are about antioxidant vitamins and what science has shown to in fact be true. This site is simply a summary; a beginner's guide to an ever-changing world of antioxidant research.
Antioxidants and the role of oxygen free radicals
Antioxidants work in protecting your body from cancer by reducing the effects that oxygen free radicals have on cell damage. This oxidative stress has both internal (digestion of certain nutrients, fighting off bacteria, etc.) and external or environmental causes. The oxygen free radicals are atoms or groups of atoms with unpaired electrons formed between the interaction of oxygen and certain molecules. These radicals immediately attach themselves to other cells in order to balance out the number of electrons and become stable. Once formed, these free radicals can have a very destructive impact on a cell. Those radicals which do not cause death to the cell can stimulate the growth of cancer when they interact with and cause damage to the DNA within the cell. Scientific evidence suggests that these oxygen free radicals play important roles in the expansion of tumors and the acquisition of malignant properties. (Role of Oxygen Free Radicals European Journal of Cancer. 32A(1):30-8, 1996 Jan.)
To prevent this free radical damage, the body utilizes a defense system made up of antioxidants. The antioxidant molecules interact with the oxygen free radicals and halt the spread of cancer causing cells with damaged DNA before other vital molecules are damaged. The main micronutrient antioxidants are vitamin E, beta-carotene, and vitamin C. Additionally, a trace metal known as selenium is required for the proper functioning of one of the body's antioxidant enzyme systems. Since the body cannot produce these micronutrients itself, they must be ingested through the diet. (http://www.liberty.com/home/appaloosa/protx.html)
Vitamin E: Vitamin which helps protect our bodies when they are exposed to environmental pollutants that interfere with healthy oxygen metabolism. It is a fat soluble vitamin found in nuts, seeds, vegetable and fish oils, whole grains, fortified cereals, and apricots.
In this experiment, both BALB/c and C3H mice are induced with azoxymethane (AOM) and dextran sodium sulphate (DSS). The inflammation is caused by the administration of dextran sodium sulphate to the drinking water of the mice. While azoxymethane induction plays a role in the development to colon cancer. In this project, the development of colon cancer through the inflammation pathway is being researched. The process first starts with the of inflammation foci. Over time, it develops into hyperplasia due to the increasing capacity of cell proliferation.
Brownstein, Joseph. “Some common vitamin supplements could increase death risk, study finds.” 10 October 2011. Vitals on mnsbc.com. Web. 11 January 2012. http://vitals.msnbc.msn.com/_news
(13) Pazirandeh S. Overview of vitamin K. In: UpToDate, Post TW (Ed), UpToDate, Waltham, MA. (Accessed 27th April 2014)
Chemotherapy is the treatment of a tumor with chemical agents to reduce mass or eradicate a tumor completely. There are certain mechanisms by which chemotherapy inhibits cancer. The first mechanism is cell death by cytotoxicity. Some chemical agents in certain amounts are toxic to cells. The cells die due to the toxic...
The law enforcement officers suffer quite more job-associated stress than the people living in the community. Many have had to realize that the nature of the profession itself may be exposing officers to the increased levels of stressors. In essence, job-associated stress is among the major health concerns of the law enforcement community, and this is because it can have some impact on the physical, mental and emotional well-being of the officers. The difference in the stressors between the law enforcement personnel and other individuals is the fact that, the enforcement officials get to interact with the human population that are quite angry, upset or even uncooperative, in which case it takes some toll on
According to Witney and Rolfes 2012, Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin that is necessary for normal growth and development. Water-soluble vitamins dissolve in water and leftover amounts of the vitamin leave the body through the urine. Hence the reasons why we need a continuous supply of this vitamin our diet. Vitamin C in humans must be ingested for survival. It is an electron donor, and this property accounts for all its known functions. As an electron donor, vitamin C is a potent water-soluble antioxidant in humans.
Tumors are formed by the alteration of the body’s own cells. This can be caused by environmental factors such as radiation, like UV exposure, chemicals or viruses 1. These can disrupt genes that control growth and cause an increase in cell division and proliferation. Proto-oncogenes are those genes that control normal but essential cell processes that keep cell growth and death in check. Two important categories are apoptosis genes, which regulate cell death, and tumor suppressor genes, which decrease cell propagation 1 . If these genes were mutated to the point where they cannot produce a functioning protein, cell division would continue far past what it was supposed to and unhealthy cells would be allowed to live and continue to multiply. This is what creates a malignant tumor. Certain conditions in the body can also promote the growth of cancer cells. One of these is a deficiency of natural killer (NK) cells, which are able to kill cancer cells by creating a pore in the cell membrane with perforin and releasing granzymes into the cell. Low levels of perforin allow for tumor growth 1. Chronic inflammation can also ...
The law enforcement officers who protect and serve the local communities have and live stressful lives. How stressful is the occupation of a law enforcement officer in their job and in their personal lives than other occupations? How hard would it be to be a spouse or loved one of a law enforcement officer? Does the public know what goes on in a law enforcement officer's job life and the life of their family? Could the average person handle the daily stress that takes place in the lives of law enforcement officers? These are several questions that individuals could ask themselves on any given day. What are the answers to these questions? I know firsthand, because I am a wife of a law enforcement officer, and I have found that it is not as easy or as hard as some would think. Furthermore, there are resources, and assistance, which can help the families of law enforcement officers in areas such as: how to cope or deal with certain situations, whether it is just daily family life, the officer’s job in general, and loss of life on duty, and the list goes on.
Some studies suggest that taking a daily multivitamin containing folic acid or folate can lower colorectal cancer risk. Other studies suggest that increasing calcium intake via supplements or low-fat dairy products may lower risk. Studies of vitamin A, C, D, and E supplements have yielded conflicting results, and additional research is needed.
Law enforcement is known to be much more stressful compared to the average job. Data shows that police officers ranked fifth on the list of the most stressful jobs in 2010 (Strieber, 2010). From long hours of report writing and documentation to engaging criminals in a high-speed pursuit and gunfire, police officers undergo strenuous duties each day. In the field of law enforcement, there are a variety of sources that cause police stress. Though, there a number of factors that lead to police stress, we can look at three major ones to structure a formidable understanding on this topic. By identifying these sources, law enforcement officers and departments can work collaboratively to uphold a quality workforce and to effectively deal with police stress concerns.
The 13 well-identified vitamins are classified according to their ability to be absorbed in fat or water. The fat-soluble vitamins-A, D, E, and K-are generally consumed along with fat-containing foods, and because they can be stored in the body's fat, they do not have to be consumed every day. The water-soluble vitamins-the eight B vitamins and vitamin C-cannot be stored and must be consumed frequently, preferably every day (with the exception of some B vitamins, as noted below).
The antioxidant system plays an effective role in protecting testes and other biological tissues below a critical threshold of reactive oxygen species (ROS) thus preventing testicular dysfunction (Oschsendorf, 1999). ROS mediated oxidative stress is one of crucial reasons of infertility and decreased sperm viability and increased level of free radicals may cause degener...
Vitamin E is the general classification for a group of eight fat-soluble compounds of tocopherols and tocotrienols. Vitamin E functions primarily as an antioxidant, but also has other roles in the body [1].
Cancer is a disease that affects human somatic cells. It causes the cells to divide uncontrollably and form masses known as tumors. There are two different types of cancer tumors. Some tumors are benign and other tumors are malignant. Benign tumors look similar to the tissues that they came from and develop slowly. The tumor remains in the same area that the tumor originated in. Malignant tumors are formed from cells that do not resemble the tissue that they came from. They vary in shape and size. This enables pieces of the tumor to break off and spread to other places in the body. Over the past few decades cancer has become a very prominent disease. There are many different types of cancer and many different causes for the the disease. Most cancers are because of a genetic mutation. The most common type occur when a cell is dividing. Proto-oncogenes, which are alleles in a normal cells, mutate to form oncogenes. These oncogenes cause cancer because they do not allow the cells to self destruct or become epistatic. There have been several research projects which have been testing epistatis.
“Dietary Supplement Fact Sheet: Vitamin D.” nih.gov. U.S. National Library of Medicine, n.d. Web. 25 November 2011.