Originally published in February 2003 icon

Grandma is Still Right!

Fish oils contain omega 3 and both vitamin A and vitamin D. Most fish themselves contain good levels of selenium, particularly important in a UK diet - poor in this crucial mineral. These four have been shown to have very active roles in beating cancer.

Cancer Fighting Vitamins And Minerals

Vitamin A is a fat soluble vitamin, part of a family of compounds including retinol. As a fat soluble vitamin it can build up in the body and particularly the liver, over time excess can cause toxicity. It does help boost the immune system and there are impressive research studies supporting its effectiveness in the fight against cancer.

Vitamin A cannot be synthesised in the body and must be taken in with food as retinol or in its precursor form, beta-carotene.

Fish oils and fish contain significant quantities of vitamin A and vitamin D.

Per 100 GMS Edible Portion

If you are thinking of buying a fish oil supplement, you might like to look at the Natural Selection Product of Choice. You can do this by  clicking here.The first link between human cancer and vitamin A was in 1941 (Abelsetal), with low plasma vitamin A levels linked to gastro-intestinal cancers. There is evidence of a link of vitamin A with cancers of the breast, prostate, stomach, colon/rectum and upper digestive tract. A study in 1993 of 90,000 breast cancer patients in New England, linked vitamin A to decreased tumour activity. Another study at the Sloan-Kettering Institute linked vitamin A supplementation to an 80% remission in leukaemia.

Fish and fish oils also have high levels of vitamin D. An RDA for vitamin D has never been accurately defined, although an intake of five micrograms is thought to be sufficient for people under 50, six for those over.

Sunlight acts on the skin causing the photo-conversion of a form of cholesterol into vitamin D3. However, in our polluted cities, humans with their indoor jobs and multiple layers of clothing can be D3 deficient. Ingestion of vitamin D is therefore necessary in these cases and crucial in some cases of cancer.

In May 2002, The Howard Hayes Medical Institute heard how vitamin D protects against colon cancer by helping to detoxify a highly carcinogenic bile acid (lithocholic acid) produced in response to high fat diets.

D3 is found in cows' milk in small quantities but the high calcium content may inhibit its action. D3 is one of the most important biological regulators of calcium metabolism, stimulating its absorption from food and monitoring calcium and phosphate levels causing calcium to be stored in the recent study on skin cancer selenium appeared to reduce mortality from all cancers, and particularly the incidence of lung, colorectal and prostate (Merck). Low selenium levels have been linked to cancers of the stomach and breast.

It appears to work with vitamin E in membrane protection especially of immune cells, and works via gluthatione peroxidase, an enzyme that neutralises hydroperoxides formed from fats.

The population of the UK has the lowest selenium intake in Europe (possibly since garlic contains good levels of selenium).

Fish and fish oils contain good levels of omega 3, vitamin A, vitamin D and selenium. They also have small levels of vitamin E, a vitamin that is increasingly depleted in our vegetables. All these nutrients play significant anticancer roles.

With the increasing levels of mercury contamination in coastal fish, sadly becoming apparent too in deepwater fish, the only safe answer is supplementation. It is hard to understand, for example, how the usual advice of eating five helpings of fruit and vegetables, or a balanced diet could possibly regenerate the omega 3 levels our ancestors had in their bodies, or even give us levels of long chain omega 3 necessary to ensure full health.

Between 1900 and 1950 cod liver oil production was regularly 75,000 tonnes per annum. Now it is just 20,000 tonnes. If you are thinking of buying a fish oil supplement, you might like to look at the Natural Selection Product of Choice. You can do this by  clicking here.           At Last - the definitive, research based book on how to build a diet to help beat cancer. Click here to read about it.

It's only natural and it will do you good. Now do as your grandmother said!